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Realtor helps students achieve their dreams By Sarah Ruppenthal Academic scholarships can make the dream of college a reality for many students. Not only do they help make higher education possible for those who can’t afford to pay out of pocket, but they also spare college graduates the stress of beginning their professional lives with a heavy load…

Realtor takes action to help residents in need By Sarah Ruppenthal It’s been four years since Liza Rivera of Keller Williams Realty Maui stepped up to help the Maui Food Bank as it navigated the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. And she has no plans to stop anytime soon.  In the spring of…

RAM Members Help Students Thrive By Sarah Ruppenthal Believe it or not, the school year is nearly over. Even so, students will still need basic classroom supplies like pencils, paper and notebooks in the weeks to come and when they return to campus in the fall. Unfortunately, these items can be cost-prohibitive for many families,…

Making Strides for RAM Community Foundation By Sarah Ruppenthal As the saying goes, one day can make a difference. Case in point: The annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk, known locally as the Maui County Charity Walk.  Hosted by the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association, the annual single-day fundraising event draws thousands of participants and benefits…

RAM Members Put ‘Service Above Self’ By Sarah Ruppenthal There are more than 1.4 million people worldwide who collectively abide by the same motto: “Service Above Self.” Indie Brassingram of Island Sotheby’s International Realty and Li Hay and Lynette Pendergast of Equity One Real Estate are among them. All three are members of the Rotary Club of…

REALTOR Helps Students Reach For The Sky By Sarah Ruppenthal For any college-bound high school senior, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of receiving an acceptance letter from their top-choice school. But for many, that chicken-skin moment may be overshadowed by a distressing question: “How am I going to pay for this?”  That’s why student…

RAM Members Are a Force For Good By Sarah Ruppenthal Author and poet Richelle E. Goodrich once wrote: “There is strength in numbers, yes, but even more so in collective goodwill.” Case in point: The Realtors of Aloha Group Maui, a part of Keller Williams Island Living.  Those Aloha Group Maui Realtors include Kathy Becklin,…

Going The Extra Mile For His Community By Sarah Ruppenthal Mike Trotto of Pali Kai Realtors lives by one acronym: STO.  “STO stands for Service To Others,” he explained. “I will do whatever I can do to help.” Among other things, Trotto is a founding member of Na Hale O Maui, a first-of-its-kind community land…

RAM Members Serve Up Some Kindness By Sarah Ruppenthal On a sunny afternoon in 1989, a tradition began in an old Catholic church on the edge of a cane field in Pu‘unene. That day, a group of local Realtors crowded into the church’s kitchen and cooked a hot meal for the men, women and children…

New Foundation Makes Its Philanthropic Debut By Sarah Ruppenthal Throughout the month of March, Coldwell Banker Island Properties agents and staff members have been busy collecting canned goods and other non-perishable items for the Maui Food Bank at their offices in Kapalua, Kahului, Kihei, Paia and Wailea.  The month-long food drive is the first to…