Kumon’s Makiki Heights Center Donates Books
to Lahaina Students
RUTHERFORD, N.J. (March 19, 2024) – A book drive by the Kumon of Makiki Heights Center collected nearly 400 books that were donated recently to the Princess Nahienaena Elementary School in Lahaina to help those affected by the fires last year.
“This was an emotional undertaking as this school sits only a few blocks away from the burn zone,” Kumon Instructor Stacy Racoma-Lurito said. “It was the right thing to do at the time. The outpouring of support for the fire victims has been worldwide. I am grateful the books will end up in the hands of the Lahaina children who lost so much.”
Racoma-Lurito flew to Maui to drop off the books and coordinated with the school’s principal to distribute them to those in need.
She, along with instructors from the Kumon centers in Maui and Oahu, were already participating in the annual Kumon book drive last year when the fires happened in Lahaina.
Kumon instructors and corporate staff in the U.S., Canada and Mexico were collecting new and gently used books at their centers throughout 2023. As part of the international book drive, the instructors designated local organizations that provide resources to families – such as children’s hospitals, literacy tutors and library fundraising groups – to receive the books. The instructors collected and donated 35,914 books during the six-month drive.
“This was my first time participating in the book drive, and it was a no-brainer given the Lahaina fires occurred so recently in August,” Racoma-Lurito said. “If the children of Lahaina could get immersed in books/stories after losing everything and take away their pain for a moment, I had to do whatever it took.”
“This was my first time participating in the book drive, and it was a no-brainer given the Lahaina fires occurred so recently in August,” Racoma-Lurito said. “If the children of Lahaina could get immersed in books/stories after losing everything and take away their pain for a moment, I had to do whatever it took.”
About Kumon
Kumon is an after-school math and reading enrichment program that unlocks the potential of children, so they can achieve more on their own. As a comprehensive program, Kumon serves children in preschool through high school. The learning method uses an individualized approach that helps children develop a solid command of math and reading skills. Through daily practice and mastery of materials, students increase confidence, improve concentration, and develop better study skills.
