Honoring our foundation, honoring our ohana

Apr 19

Vivienne and Michael Aronowitz

Waimea heroes, Vivienne and Michael Aronowitz, have both been supporters of Māla‘ai for nearly 18 years, tirelessly helping our school-community become healthier and more resilient. Vivienne, celebrating her recent retirement from Kaiser, served as Māla’ai’s Board Chair in the early years, guiding Māla‘ai through very challenging times – both financially and when many still thought school gardens were silly fun and games, not serious learning experiences. She helped ensure Māla’ai’s future by fearlessly making new friends and convincing them to become volunteers and funding partners. She also helped Māla’ai host a series of "Souper Kitchen" dinners to introduce our families and entire community to simple, healthy, yet low-cost meals, and was instrumental in shifting thinking about snacks – that they can be delicious and healthy too. And Michael – Dr. Aronowitz – is a respected Waimea psychologist, public speaker and life coach who recently celebrated his 70th birthday in early 2023!

Mahalo to Dr. Jan Gilman and Michael Tonjum for honoring these two with a donation to Māla‘ai. We will continue our work with integrity, promoting total health and well-being in honor of Vivienne and Michael.

Patti Cook

Recently retired from Waimea Middle School, Patti Cook has been a staunch supporter of high-quality education for all our keiki in Waimea for over 25 years. Among other activities, Patti was part of initial community conversations in the 2000s that eventually led to the creation of Māla‘ai: The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School. Serving on the Māla‘ai Board of Directors for many years, Patti helped to shape the solid foundation and culture of Māla‘ai. She raised incredible amounts of funds and friends for the garden and WMS through her natural networking skills and unwavering advocacy for our students and their futures. Patti continues to be in service to Māla‘ai, helping to maintain cohesion between the garden and community programs, and providing invaluable connections and historical knowledge for our current leadership team.