Growing Our Own Teachers on Kauai is committed to assisting our Kauai student teachers finish their programs so they can get licensed and teach in our Kauai Schools. To that end, we are involved in a few important activities this Spring.  

First, we have the HLTA Charity Walk. Through the Charity Walk, participating nonprofits raise money and recruit team members for the annual walk at Vidinha Stadium. This year, the event is on Saturday, May 4th and it will be our 3rd year as a participating nonprofit. Our goal is to raise $3,000! All money raised through the Charity Walk on Kauai is dispersed to participating Kauai nonprofits. So the money stays here on-island. It’s a great way to allow us to make ourselves known and continue fulfilling our mission. You can visit our Charity Walk page at bit.ly/gootok or text KAUAI2060 to 71777.

Second, we are celebrating Kauai teachers during National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 6 through May 10, 2024. Teachers are a special type of people and they deserve special thanks from all of us. On May 4th at our Charity Walk booth , we will collect “Thank You” notes from students who want to thank a special teacher (no donation required). We will have special notes cards which can be filled out and placed in an envelope. We will deliver those notes to the teachers’ schools during Teacher Appreciation Week.  On May 7th, we will present our Mayor, the Honorable Derek S.K. Kawakami, with our Proclamation to declare May 6th through 10th as Kauai Teacher Appreciation Week for his signature. A photo of the signed proclamation will appear on our website and the original will be presented to the Kauai Board of Education.

Third, we will be taking applications for those student teachers graduating in the Fall of this year. It seems early. but it’s already April and, if you will be student teaching in the Fall, then your complete applications are due June 30, 2024. Remember, you have finals in May, your teachers have grades to report and, then, it’s summer. People travel. So, start getting prepared now so you don’t miss out! We want to help you, but our board members travel during the summer too, so if your application is late, we may not be able to get you into the round of interviews and board meeting discussion/vote. Go to our applications page to find out what you will need to submit to us so you can start gathering your information now.

It may not sound like much, but a lot of preparation goes into each fundraising event. All our Board members work hard to keep our funding coming is so we can provide grants to our deserving student teachers. 

Growing Our Own Teachers on Kauai is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with an all-volunteer Board of Directors.