HSTA board approves funds to provide its members Lala storm relief

H​​​awaiʻi State Teachers Association members whose homes, classrooms, or workplaces were damaged as a result of Hurricane and Tropical Storm Lala will soon be eligible for cash relief payments from the union.

At an emergency meeting held earlier this month, HSTA’s Board of Directors approved allocating $50,000 from the union’s Crises Fund to fund storm relief payments to members.

“Providing timely assistance will help educators recover and maintain stability for themselves and their students while broader relief efforts are underway,” said HSTA President Osa Tui, Jr.

HSTA is finalizing its process to identify affected members, verify impacts, and determine appropriate levels of support. The union will announce details of the program as soon as it has been set up.

Eligibility for assistance will be limited to: HSTA members, HIDOE new hires who join HSTA as a member, retirees (note: any assistance awarded to retirees will be contingent upon financial support from NEA Member Benefits.)

HSTA is sharing members’ and retirees’ crowdfunding appeals for donations to help restore homes, classrooms and school worksites damaged by storm over the weekend. If you have a fundraising link, such as DonorsChoose, GoFundMe, Amazon, My Wishlist, Venmo, Zelle, etc., that you would like publicly shared, let us know!

Go to our Contact page and submit an online form with the following:

• Under Topic, select “Storm relief” from the dropdown menu.
• Include your name, school, chapter, phone number, and personal email address.
• Under Question, briefly explain your current situation and include your fundraising link.