Seabury Hall will be hosting an inaugural event, Maunalei Giving Day, a virtual fundraiser combined with a drive-through Mother’s Day Marketplace, on Saturday, May 8, 2021. With the traditional Craft Fair not being held for the second year in a row, the school has pivoted to a new style of fundraiser, bringing the event both into the 21st century and creating a safer way for the people of Maui to support Seabury Hall, while still being able to gather all of the items that always made the Craft Fair the best place to buy treats for Mother’s Day. The new event is named in part for the school’s campus, Maunalei.
Maunalei Giving Day will be streamed on the school’s website from 10am – 2pm and will highlight the incredible talents of the students, teachers, and alumni around the world, and donations of any amount will be welcomed through their new online giving platform. If your company is interested in sponsoring a portion of the broadcast, please contact [email protected]
Historically, the Craft Fair was the school’s largest fundraiser event, drawing thousands of visitors from around the island, and raising over $150,000 for the school’s financial aid programs. According to the Head of School, Maureen Madden, “the need for financial aid has never been greater. Living through this pandemic and economic downturn, especially on an island so dependent on tourism, our families are requiring more assistance than in the past. In pivoting to an online platform, and being able to highlight our students and alumni to our ‘ohana around the world, we hope to make this our most successful fundraiser ever.”
The event will also feature the Maunalei Mother’s Day Marketplace, which will offer selected favorites from the past Craft Fairs that will be easy to order online and pick up in a drive-through event on the school’s campus located in upcountry Maui. Kaimana Brummel, the school’s Director of Advancement, shared that this part of the event will offer “the best of craft fair as we knew it, with grab-and-go meals, lei, flower bouquets, plants, and of course, the ability to visit the campus, which is really beautiful in May. We’ve been able to hold a couple of drive-through events on campus already, and we’re excited to combine the success of those events with all of the craft fairs of the past, into one exciting new event.”
The Maunalei Mother’s Day Marketplace will also feature an online-only Craft Fair during the month of April, so shoppers from around the world can order from their favorite crafters and have them shipped and delivered just in time for Mother’s Day.
The impact of the financial aid is two-fold: to provide deserving students an opportunity for a high-quality college preparatory education which might otherwise be unobtainable for them, and allow for a well-qualified student body reflecting a broad social and economic mix.
History of the Craft Fair: The Seabury Hall Craft Fair started in 1973 as a gathering of arts and entertainment on the school’s upcountry campus, which is also known as Maunalei. It is always held on the day before Mother’s Day. It grew to be a well-attended event, featuring over 100 artists and crafters, including Maui-based woodworkers, traditional Hawaiian artists, jewelers, ceramists, and weavers. In addition, the fair offered specialty foods, live music, fresh produce, cut flowers, children’s games, rummage sale, and a silent auction.
