Eight hundred members of Maui’s disability community were displaced due to the devastating wildfires. United Spinal Association’s Ready to Roll program, in partnership with the Nielsen Foundation, provided disaster relief grants to support wheelchair users.
One of our recipients, the Kelea Foundation, is a Maui-based non-profit dedicated to making sports and the ocean accessible to everyone. When the fires hit, the organization worked from day one to identify people with disabilities, advocate for their needs and connect them to vital services and extended medical care.
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Disability Resource Hub
Part of the United Spinal funding was used to secure a building for the Kelea Foundation’s Disability Resource HUB, which opened in October 2023.
“This storefront gives local disabled residents directly impacted by the fires access to medical equipment and a place to meet with professionals for assessments,” says Matt Castelluccio, United Spinal’s Vice President of Community Support. “We helped Kelea create a safe place for our community to get the care they need. Now they can start putting their lives back together.”
This inclusive space will serve as a central location to provide the following:
- Storage and distribution center for medical equipment
- Co-working office for social workers and community caseworkers to meet clients in a safe, comfortable and accessible space
- Space for off-island specialists to see patients free of charge
- A community center to gather, plan, collaborate and heal from this disaster
- Room to host accessible yoga and fitness classes, community safety classes and support groups
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“Our advocacy efforts operate out of this space,” says Jenn Gladwin, founder of the Kelea Foundation. “We have reached over 75 individuals so far, helping to solve complex issues such as medical care, insurance and government benefits. We have distributed over 300 items to those in need.”
“Thank you for your support! We all deeply appreciate it. From this home base, we can accomplish so much more than we ever could before.”
Learn more about the wheelchair users supported through our Ready to Roll program. Please contact our Community Support team for more information about all of United Spinal’s chapters and programs. To support our mission, donate here.