Inspired by Kīlauea and Giving from the Heart
The Vehr Family Foundation Invites the Community to Support Namahana
For John and Jody Vehr, coming to Kīlauea felt like coming home. The Arizona-based couple at the helm of the Vehr Family Foundation first visited the North Shore in 2015 and immediately fell in love with the area around Kauapea Beach. The day they found their home in Kalihiwai, remembers Jody, “We walked in the door and both looked at each other; it just felt like we’d been there before.”
Both were immediately struck by the authenticity and human connection they experienced in Kīlauea Town. “We’ve lived in several different places and never have we felt the sense of community that we feel here,” says John. “It’s like a shared purpose. People care about this place in a way that’s different from anywhere else. There’s an openness and acceptance that’s missing on the Mainland and around the world, where people tend to ask each other what they do for a living – here it’s more like people want to know who you are. People are more heart-centered and focused on a life worth living rather than going out and getting, getting, getting.”
The Vehrs’ love for Kīlauea was a natural catalyst for supporting Namahana School. After contributing to the campaign that enabled the school to purchase its new property across from the Kīlauea Post Office, they learned more about Namahana’s educational model. Both were thrilled to see that it emphasized many of the things that they feel are important in a young person’s development: autonomy, self-discovery, finding your passions and purpose in life.
“When we saw Big Picture Learning and they way that they teach to kids’ motivation rather than just being a worker drone for society, it really spoke to me,” says John, who describes himself as a “rotten student who never bothered to go to college” and yet found personal and financial success through a long process of self-discovery.
“I don’t care what tests say, because every kid is brilliant at something and helping them find that inner genius is what will open up their world,” he says. “I’m a big fan of lifelong learning, rather than education based on a narrow definition of learning. I think all you need to give a kid is some spark of inspiration and the ability to discipline themselves and focus on what it is they want to achieve.”
Jody’s turning point in life came in her thirties, while completing a master’s program in Spiritual Psychology at the University of Santa Monica. “That educational experience transformed and regenerated me, and Namahana in its own way reminds me of that kind of deeply human approach to education that’s basically driven by love. Kīlauea is just so beautiful and we hope to see Namahana school nurture and celebrate this community and everything it stands for.”
Last summer, the Vehr Family Foundation partnered with Namahana Education Foundation to launch its first 100 for 100K campaign, which matches $100,000 for the first 100 donors of $1 or more. The campaign raised $50,000 from more than 100 donors in only 6 days. This month, the foundation generously relaunched the 100 for 100K match, raising an additional $137,000 from 100 donors within 14 days to help close the gap on Namahana’s $10 million campus capital campaign. To learn more, visit www.namahana.org.
