“There are only a few people I know who do what they say they’re going to do, and one of those people is Kyle Ellison.

From day one, Kyle took it on himself to help out victims of the Kula fire. He has foresight and vision into the the community’s needs, and he listens and asks questions about what those needs might be.

He is a visionary, an organizer, and a leader. He cares deeply about people and his best quality is his empathy for the families who live here. He utilized and organized various community groups and volunteers to assist with the massive cleanup in Kula, and served as a liaison with public officials, communicating the important questions that are sometimes difficult to ask.

Without the assistance from Kyle, Mālama Kula, and the numerous organizations and church groups he helped to organize, the clean up on my property would have been cost prohibitive, as not even my insurance would have covered the costs.

Lastly, he brought the Kula community together, as neighbors who barely knew each other started to come together in their collective efforts to heal.

Kula is a unique, diverse community of families—many who come from generations of farmers, ranchers, and entrepreneurs. Our needs are unique to the rest of Upcountry, and I’m glad there is a voice that will mālama Kula for future generations.”

-Ruth Mori-

“Since the August 8 catastrophe on Maui, Kyle Ellison and Mālama Kula have organized and led a continuing flow of good hearted volunteers, who have constantly and selflessly gathered, piled, loaded and driven away tree trunks, branches and limbs to be chipped, and used to cover the Kula burn scars.  

I cannot offer enough praise for Kyle … he always returns calls, always arrives when he says he will, and always accomplishes what we have coordinated.

He has been a blessing to so many of us who have been in emergency since August 8”

-Randall Rospond-

“After this year's fire burned through my neighborhood in Kula, all the vegetation retaining the soil behind our houses was destroyed.  Since we live on a large gulch, this leaves us extremely vulnerable to further property damage as the winter rains approach. 

This issue is compounded by the deer population roaming the area, making any attempts to regrow the area futile.  Following the fires, Mālama Kula volunteers assisted in clearing dead but unburned vegetation from the land.

They also provided me with funding to construct a deer fence which now successfully protects my home and others in the community.  

We have since been able to successfully grow grass and native plants along the gulch to protect our home from further erosion.  Thank you so much for all your hard work restoring and protecting Kula. ”

-Steven Werther-

“Kyle was the most effective and responsive person to assist with post-fire recovery.

While many of us were wondering what to do, he was already in action to get supplies and support for Kula. He's energetic and an organizer. It's an unbeatable combo.”

-Linden Joesting-