Take ‘A Walk in the Park” for local keiki

What can you do with brand-new pair of rubber slippers?

Make a kid’s day.

At schools statewide, some students arrive on campus wearing one slipper—or none at all. Others lose or break theirs during the day and have no replacement. That’s why Joe and Jodi Hogin of NextHome Hometown Realty Group decided to hold a slipper drive next month as part of NextHome’s annual “Luke Day.”

“Luke” is NextHome Inc.’s four-legged mascot. Born on June 15, 2014, the French bulldog lives at NextHome’s corporate headquarters in Pleasanton, Calif., and is the company’s canine ambassador. Every June, in honor of Luke’s birthday, NextHome agents across the country take part in community service projects like pet adoption drives, park cleanups, and fundraisers for animal shelters and nonprofit organizations.

To celebrate Luke’s seventh birthday this year, NextHome Hometown Realty Group will host the first-ever “A Walk in the Park with Luke” slipper drive at Keopuolani Regional Park’s dog park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 15.

That day, the Hogins and their colleagues will collect new rubber slippers in varying sizes, styles and colors for elementary, middle, and high school-aged students. They will hand off the donated slippers to Sarah Sorenson, founder and director of the Wishing Well… for Maui Students program, who will then distribute them to local schools. “When a child of any age receives a new pair of slippers, they light up. It gives them more confidence,” Sorenson said. “There will be many children in many schools that will be so happy for footwear.”

The slipper drive holds special meaning for Joe Hogin, who is the Realtors Association of Maui’s 2020-21 president. Since his presidential term began last fall, Hogin has been laser-focused on supporting the Realtors Association of Maui Community Foundation (RAMCF), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with two programs under its umbrella: Wishing Well…for Maui Students and the RAMCF Presidential Scholarship Fund.

Run by volunteer RAM members and fueled by the generosity of the community, the Wishing Well…for Maui Students program covers every public school on Maui, Molokai and Lanai, along with Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers, a nonprofit that shelters students in different grade levels at its Wailuku and Lahaina facilities.

Each school has a volunteer coordinator (and in some cases, more than one) who collects and distributes school supplies and other “wish list” items throughout the year. In the past, Wishing Well volunteers held school supply drives at the entrance of the Kmart store in Kahului. But since the store closed in 2017, the program has relied largely on donations from residents, visitors and businesses, which is why efforts like “A Walk in the Park with Luke” are so important.

“We, the coordinators for the Wishing Well, are so grateful for Joe Hogin taking on this drive because by the time school starts in August, the financial toll this pandemic has taken will be exposed for how great this basic commodity—slippers—are needed at all schools before they start up so students can get them right at the beginning,” Sorenson said. “The school supplies they will need will be our next greatest need so all students can succeed.”

The Hogins hope to collect 1,000 pairs of slippers and you can help them reach—or better yet, exceed—their goal. Stop by the dog park any time between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on June 15 and look for the orange-clad volunteers flanked by French bulldog cardboard cutouts. To donate slippers in advance of Luke Day, contact Joe Hogin at 870-2775 or joehogin@gmail.com.

In addition to making a donation to “A Walk in the Park with Luke,” you can provide other asked-for items or make a financial contribution to the Wishing Well… for Maui Students program. For more information, visit www.ILoveMauiSchools.com or call Sorenson at 283-3969.

The Maui News – May 3, 2021

What can you do with brand-new pair of rubber slippers?

Make a kid’s day.

At schools statewide, some students arrive on campus wearing one slipper—or none at all. Others lose or break theirs during the day and have no replacement. That’s why Joe and Jodi Hogin of NextHome Hometown Realty Group decided to hold a slipper drive next month as part of NextHome’s annual “Luke Day.”

“Luke” is NextHome Inc.’s four-legged mascot. Born on June 15, 2014, the French bulldog lives at NextHome’s corporate headquarters in Pleasanton, Calif., and is the company’s canine ambassador. Every June, in honor of Luke’s birthday, NextHome agents across the country take part in community service projects like pet adoption drives, park cleanups, and fundraisers for animal shelters and nonprofit organizations.

To celebrate Luke’s seventh birthday this year, NextHome Hometown Realty Group will host the first-ever “A Walk in the Park with Luke” slipper drive at Keopuolani Regional Park’s dog park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 15.

That day, the Hogins and their colleagues will collect new rubber slippers in varying sizes, styles and colors for elementary, middle, and high school-aged students. They will hand off the donated slippers to Sarah Sorenson, founder and director of the Wishing Well… for Maui Students program, who will then distribute them to local schools. “When a child of any age receives a new pair of slippers, they light up. It gives them more confidence,” Sorenson said. “There will be many children in many schools that will be so happy for footwear.”

The slipper drive holds special meaning for Joe Hogin, who is the Realtors Association of Maui’s 2020-21 president. Since his presidential term began last fall, Hogin has been laser-focused on supporting the Realtors Association of Maui Community Foundation (RAMCF), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with two programs under its umbrella: Wishing Well…for Maui Students and the RAMCF Presidential Scholarship Fund.

Run by volunteer RAM members and fueled by the generosity of the community, the Wishing Well…for Maui Students program covers every public school on Maui, Molokai and Lanai, along with Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers, a nonprofit that shelters students in different grade levels at its Wailuku and Lahaina facilities.

Each school has a volunteer coordinator (and in some cases, more than one) who collects and distributes school supplies and other “wish list” items throughout the year. In the past, Wishing Well volunteers held school supply drives at the entrance of the Kmart store in Kahului. But since the store closed in 2017, the program has relied largely on donations from residents, visitors and businesses, which is why efforts like “A Walk in the Park with Luke” are so important.

“We, the coordinators for the Wishing Well, are so grateful for Joe Hogin taking on this drive because by the time school starts in August, the financial toll this pandemic has taken will be exposed for how great this basic commodity—slippers—are needed at all schools before they start up so students can get them right at the beginning,” Sorenson said. “The school supplies they will need will be our next greatest need so all students can succeed.”

The Hogins hope to collect 1,000 pairs of slippers and you can help them reach—or better yet, exceed—their goal. Stop by the dog park any time between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on June 15 and look for the orange-clad volunteers flanked by French bulldog cardboard cutouts. To donate slippers in advance of Luke Day, contact Joe Hogin at 870-2775 or joehogin@gmail.com.

In addition to making a donation to “A Walk in the Park with Luke,” you can provide other asked-for items or make a financial contribution to the Wishing Well… for Maui Students program. For more information, visit www.ILoveMauiSchools.com or call Sorenson at 283-3969.

The Maui News – May 3, 2021