Mākena Golf & Beach Club brought community together through family-focused plant and pickleball events

Mākena Golf & Beach Club (Mākena) brought families and community members together in July through two engaging events that celebrated recreation, cultural connection, and community wellbeing.

On Thursday, July 23, Mākena hosted Lāʻau Love: Pollinators & Wellbeing, a free Lau Ke Aloha gathering that honored local land trusts and explored the relationship between native plants, pollinators, and people. On Saturday, July 25, the club welcomed families to Keiki & ʻOhana Pickleball Fun, a free morning of games, movement, and introductory pickleball activities for participants ages 5 and older.

Native plants and pollinators

As part of Mākena’s Lau Ke Aloha series, Lāʻau Love: Pollinators & Wellbeing invited the Maui community to engage with the healing and ecological connections between lāʻau, pollinators, and community care. During the event, participants created their own infused honey by selecting from a variety of native lāʻau to blend with locally produced honey, creating a take-home expression of the relationship between pollinators, plants, and people. Through hands-on hana noʻeau led by local artisans, attendees deepened their connection to place while learning more about the ecosystems that sustain Hawaiʻi and the organizations working to protect them.

The afternoon featured Hoʻōla Honey, a Native Hawaiian ʻohana from Hawaiʻi Island whose work brings together honey bees, native plants, and lāʻau lapaʻau. The gathering also honored three Maui organizations dedicated to preserving the enduring relationship between people and ʻāina: Nā Hale O Maui, Lahaina Community Land Trust, and Hawaiʻi Land Trust. Each nonprofit selected a native species that reflected its mission and vision and helped inspire the creative experience, with Nā Hale O Maui selecting meli (honey bees), Lahaina Community Land Trust selecting ʻuhaloa, Hawaiʻi Land Trust selecting ʻākulikuli, and Mākena Golf & Beach Club selecting ʻawa.

“Each Lau Ke Aloha gathering is an opportunity to strengthen our pilina with ʻāina while recognizing the organizations and people helping to steward Hawaiʻi’s future,” said Brad Anderson, Senior Director of Development for Mākena Golf & Beach Club. “We were honored to celebrate our local land trusts and their shared commitment to ensuring that our communities remain deeply connected to the places that sustain us.”

Lau Ke Aloha events are held throughout the year to celebrate Maui’s nonprofit organizations while inviting the community to engage with native species and cultural practices that help seed a more resilient future. The July gathering offered opportunities for interactive learning, cultural connection, and greater awareness of the organizations working every day to care for Hawaiʻi’s people and places.

Introduction to pickleball

Two days later, Keiki & ʻOhana Pickleball Fun offered a relaxed and welcoming introduction to pickleball at Mākena’s pickleball courts. The event featured a mini-clinic, group activities, and free play, giving families and friends an opportunity to spend time together while staying active outdoors. Open to all levels from beginner to experienced players, the free event encouraged keiki and adults alike to enjoy an accessible morning of recreation and shared learning.

Together, the two events reflected Mākena Golf & Beach Club’s continued commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for community engagement through culture, education, wellness, and family-friendly programming, according to the resort. From honoring organizations that steward Maui’s lands to offering active experiences for local families, the July events invited participants to deepen their connection to place and to one another.