Seabury Hall’s “5K for Tonga” Raises $10,300

Students at Seabury Hall raised $10,300 for relief efforts in Tonga as a part of the school’s 5K for Tonga Color Run on Feb. 15, 2022.

Proceeds were donated to the Anglican Mission which has been working with local and national response teams to provide aid in wake of the volcanic eruption that occurred on Jan. 15, 2022.

The fundraiser and 5K were a part of the school’s “Share Your Love” week which took place from Feb. 14-17 and encouraged students to show their support for different communities.

“After seeing the devastation caused by the eruption, our students knew they wanted to contribute to the relief efforts,” said Kukini Suwa, who spearheaded the fundraiser. “We decided that if all 500 of us pitched in and donated, we could help to support and encourage the people of Tonga as they recover from this disaster.”

Students donated on their own and asked friends and family members to give to the fund, which quickly surpassed its initial $10,000 goal. During the 5K students, faculty, and staff ran a course that weaved through the Makawao campus and included checkpoints where participants were doused in colored powder.

“We were surprised but pleased to see how much fun the students had at the 5K. There were so many smiles,” said Suwa. “This was definitely a ‘win-win’ situation. The students were happy to run with their friends and you could see the joy they felt from being able to help others in need.”

Seabury Hall is a private college preparatory school serving students in Grades 5-12, in Makawao since 1964.