Response may extend school help program

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

KAILUA — What began as a one-woman effort to help Windward O'ahu get school supplies and equipment donated is looking to expand islandwide, now that more people are stepping forward to help.

Among the calls were several offering key services that Wells said she would need in order to expand, from designing a Web site to creating a brochure to setting up a nonprofit organization and giving business advice.

Other calls came from businesses offering moving trucks, government agencies saying they would pay for advertisements soliciting donations and a construction company willing to do small weekend projects at schools.

"This would never have happened if not for the Hardware Hawai'i donation," Wells said, thanking the community for its support. "It just shows how much the community cares about our schools. It's working because of the community."

Since Wells began placing the newspaper ads in 2000 listing items schools would like to have, dozens of people and companies have responded. Wells has worked with each school's Parent Community Networking Center coordinator to get the items delivered.

This month, Hardware Hawai'i distributed to 40 schools most of the 5,000 gallons of paint donated by the store, which is owned by Dave, Barry and Mary Lundquist of Kailua. About 1,500 gallons of paint remain, most of which is stain that the schools don't have much use for, Wells said.

Lisa Devlin, a recent Hawai'i arrival who lives in Kailua, is among four people who offered to design a Web site for Wells.

A Web designer has not been selected yet, but Devlin said she could develop a n interactive site within about eight weeks. Teachers would submit their requests online and people could respond, she said.

"I'm envisioning that it would eliminate a lot of the overhead," Devlin said.

The project still seeks sponsors to pay for the newspaper ads, which cost $384 a month, paid for by Wells herself.

The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have offered to pay for several ads under a product recycling program, Wells said.

Although she is thrilled to get the support and offers, Wells doesn't want to expand too quickly and risk ruining the project. Once the Web site is running and a brochure is printed, more volunteers will be sought to handle donations in each school district and oversee distribution.

Expansion could come by the end of the year, Wells said.

"It's all one step at a time. When we have the infrastructure in place, then we'll take it islandwide."

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.