Over 100 Maui Families Served With Aloha This Holiday Season

What Makes You Feel Beautiful
Dec 10, 2025
4 min read

Keiki smiles, ʻohana connection, and community generosity filled the room with light.

December 8, 2025 • Wailuku, Maui

This year’s Mele Kalikimaka ʻOhana Care Celebration was a day overflowing with aloha. What Makes You Feel Beautiful (WMYFB) welcomed more than 100 Maui families—far beyond the 75 we initially prepared for. The space at Unity on Maui came alive with warmth, laughter, and the shared joy of community coming together.

Keiki decorated holiday cookies, crafted heartfelt cards, and moved through the room with excitement, while parents expressed gratitude for a space that embraced them with dignity and care.

A Reflection from the Heart of Our ʻOhana Care – Mele Kalikimaka Celebration

On Monday, we gathered with families across Maui for a holiday celebration filled with joy, connection, and community care. The atmosphere held a kind of magic — a blend of cultures, generations, and hearts coming together under one roof.

This week, we received an email from one of our longtime volunteers, Ronnette, who offered a reflection so heartfelt and poetic that it felt like stepping back into that moment. With her permission, we are honored to share her words with you.

She captured the smiles of the keiki, the gratitude of parents, the memories sparked by a simple Christmas tree branch, and the warmth and unity that filled the room. Her reflection speaks to the essence of What Makes You Feel Beautiful — creating spaces where our community feels seen, supported, and embraced in Aloha.

We are deeply grateful to our volunteers, partners, and donors who helped make this event possible. And to our sister Ronnette — mahalo nui for your heart, your presence, and your gift of words.

Her reflection is shared below. May it touch you the way it touched us. 🌺💛💜

Reflection by Ronnette Gonsalves:

“On top of the high feminine energy and the beautiful melting pot of cultures gathered under one roof, the whole day was inspiring. Amazing job, my sisters — moments like these keep me committed to the callings, sustained by the love of my soul sisters. 💛💜🙏

As we greeted and checked in each person — the first-timers, the returning families, those picking up for loved ones, and the next generation of littles — their smiles told the story. A single lollipop brought joy to tiny hearts. The Keiki Make-and-Take holiday table filled parents with gratitude. And even a small branch from the Christmas tree carried memories, as many shared that they can no longer afford a real tree.

My reflections from yesterday feel like a sweet, sensuous pastry of colors — golden honey, vanilla cream, and chocolate brown. A drizzle of Asian, a touch of Mexican, topped with Poly’s and 808 islanders — all showing up collectively, respectfully, and honorably to support, to represent, or to receive.

What Makes You Feel Beautiful truly lived its mission yesterday. Under one roof, we witnessed what it looks and feels like when humans gather as true Aloha beings. A community moving with heart, with action, and with purpose. The struggle is real — yet the appreciation and blessings flowing between givers and receivers were heavenly.

WMYFB will always carry a bright shining star over every space we gather, a guiding light for all who come through our doors.”

🌈 Aha! Offers Extraordinary Support to Maui ʻOhana

This year, we were blessed with a remarkable contribution from Aha!, the world’s #1 product development software. Aha! helps more than 1 million product builders bring their strategy to life through a powerful suite of tools, including Aha! Roadmaps, Aha! Discovery, Aha! Ideas, Aha! Whiteboards, Aha! Knowledge, Aha! Teamwork, and Aha! Develop. Learn more at: https://www.aha.io/

Aha! supported this event in a deeply meaningful way by donating:

Five MacBook computers for our youth programs
A $1,500 contribution to strengthen community outreach
Twelve dedicated volunteers who helped welcome families, assist keiki, and distribute care bags

Their generosity elevated the day and expanded our capacity to serve Maui ʻohana with dignity and care.

Mahalo to Our Additional Partners

We honor the incredible organizations who stood with us in service:

🌟 4imprint 🌟 Project Glimmer 🌟 Soul Dope LLC 🌟 Ma‘i Movement Hawai‘i 🌟 Good360 🌟 BBW 🌟

And our devoted local volunteers whose hearts helped carry this event from beginning to end.

Every contribution created a space filled with joy, belonging, and hope.

A Message From the Executive Director, Monica Marrow

“As I looked across the room and watched keiki laughing, parents exhaling, and volunteers serving with so much love, I felt the true heartbeat of Maui. This celebration was a reminder of what becomes possible when our community shows up for one another. I am deeply grateful to each partner, volunteer, and ʻohana who made this day beautiful.”