Kapahi resident Marilyn Mohler is helping single mothers dependent on government assistance to become self-sufficient. Mohler is pouring her time, energy and even her own possessions into the effort. Her Hui O Na Makuahine Ho‘okahi o Kaua‘i, a “grass roots”
Kapahi resident Marilyn Mohler is helping single mothers dependent on government assistance to become self-sufficient.
Mohler is pouring her time, energy and even her own possessions into the effort.
Her Hui O Na Makuahine Ho‘okahi o Kaua‘i, a “grass roots” organization, has helped over 50 single mothers, Mohler said in an interview with The Garden Island.
Mohler said she was inspired to help struggling single mothers while serving as a clerk, and in an after-school tutoring program at Kapa‘a Elementary School.
There she found some children were missing meals because their mothers were so busy trying to keep their families going.
She began her work in 2000, working with six families. Now she has a track record of providing help for 55 families, living in towns ranging from Anahola to Lihu‘e, with some 35 families now self-sufficient.
Single-mother families in need of help are now being referred to Mohler’s group through various agencies.
“We lend a hand to single mothers to help them on the road to self-sufficiency,” she said. “(Our goal) is to keep you going till you are on your feet. Future plans call for having a base of operations somewhere in East Kaua‘i, and she is currently seeking such a site.
Those she helps have included parents in jail, and others who just needed a helping hand in time of need.
