The Rainbow Helicopters team members who have been helping send supplies to residents of Maui (from left): Mason Bland (ground crew), Nicole Battjes (owner and 2023–24 HAI chair), Lydia Williams (operations manager), Kalei Perreira (operations manager), Andrew Mable (assistant director of maintenance), Shalani Kauwalu (ground supervisor), Terina Shimoda (ground supervisor), and Mike Iven (VP of maintenance). (Photo: Tim Burton/Rainbow Helicopters)
2023–24 HAI Chair and Rainbow Helicopters founder Nicole Battjes and her team sent supplies to the residents of Maui after the town of Lahaina was devastated by the deadliest fire in the United States in more than 100 years.
Nicole Battjes (left) and Rainbow Helicopters team members Mike Iven and Terina Shimoda load a company AStar with provisions for Maui residents Aug. 11.
The crew has flown 2,500 lb. of supplies to Maui in the past three days, concentrating on women and babies in need of formula, diapers, wipes, and feminine hygiene products.
The AStar is loaded with essentials for mothers and babies in Maui who desperately need formula, diapers, cotton swabs, and other care items.
“We are so grateful we can focus on moms who are in such desperate immediate need of assistance during a disaster such as this,” says Battjes. “We’re eager to make an impact where it’s really needed. Our AStar has been a champ in helping us deliver over 200 containers of formula, 50 boxes of diapers, and 50 boxes of wipes.”
Rainbow Helicopters has also established a GoFundMe page for readers who would like to help the people of Maui. Go to https://gofund.me/4ece95d0 to learn more. More information on Rainbow Helicopters is available on the company’s website.
