Healing through community, nature, & service.
Mana O Maui (MOM) is a nonprofit organization empowering Maui County residents through adventure education, surf therapy, Hawaiian cultural learning, and the healing arts. Our immersive, therapeutic programs support mental, emotional, and physical well-being while fostering leadership skills and a deep connection to the land and ocean.
Our Programs
Mana O Maui offers subsidized programs to underserved youth, individuals affected by recent fires, and low-income participants, ensuring accessibility for all Maui residents.
Cultural Education
Learn from Hawaiian cultural practitioners & deepen your connection to the land.
Surf & Ocean Adventure
Build confidence and skills through surfing, paddling, and ocean safety.
Leadership & Growth
Gain life skills and mentorship from experienced guides.
Surf-N-Turf Afterschool Program
Join us for a seasonal afterschool adventure program for twelve girls aged 11-17. Participants will engage in surfing, hiking, and cultural learning while developing teamwork, confidence, and resilience.
Dates: Every Wednesday in April
Time: 1:30-4pm Sessions
Cost: $10 Per session (max. 12 participants per session)
*financial aid provided for qualifying participants
Deets: Transportation & Gear Provided
1:30 pick up at Central Maui Boys N Girls Club
1:40 pick up at Big Brothers Big Sisters.
2-3:30 Surf/Hike
4pm Drop offs
A week-long journey of preparation, hiking, and camping in Haleakalā Crater. This adventure is available to 12 girls who exhibit dedication during the Surf-N-Turf Program, focusing on leadership skills and forging lifelong friendships.
Rites of Passage Camping Adventure
Ages: 11-17
Cost: TBA
Dates: TBA
Time: TBA
Help Us Empower the Next Generation of Leaders
Support our mission to empower Maui's youth and families. Your generous donation provides access to outdoor education programs and community experiences, fostering empowerment through adventure, service projects, and the healing arts.
Partner Organizations
We will be working with these amazing groups to raise funds for scholarships to their programs as well as co-creating outdoor programs for our kama’aina residents.
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Kelea Foundation: Girls in the Lineup Program
Kelea Foundation is a Maui based non profit organization dedicated to making sports & the ocean accessible to all people. Their Girls in the Line Up summer program is a community based empowerment program for school aged girls. They use sports and movement to give girls a space to create a sisterhood and connect to their own sense of self, purpose and community. Sports are both water and land based, with emphasis on water sports such as Swim, SUP and Surf.
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Surfing Moms: West Maui Chapter
Surfing Moms started in 2018 as a grassroots initiative between friends in Kailua, Hawaii. As interest from the community grew, the organization launched as a national 501(c)3 in 2021 growing local communities of support to improve the wellbeing of mothers, families and our environment. Surfing Moms aims to ease the isolation of modern motherhood by building community through “surf-care” and other research-based maternal wellness and postpartum interventions. Surfing Moms cultivates connection and local community systems of support through their signature Surf-Swap program which pairs up mothers who take turns watching each other’s kids while they each get a chance to paddle out and surf before swapping.
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Adaptive Maui
Adaptive Maui is a non profit organization based in Maui, Hawaii. They are a community-based group of adaptive and able bodied athletes with the goal to provide adaptive resources and make Hawaii’s outdoors more accessible to all, despite any physical challenges they may face. They work with local businesses, athletes and the County of Maui to create programs and events that promote strong, healthy, self-determined humans.
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Maui Surfer Girls
Maui Surfer Girls started running overnight summer surf camps for teenage girls on Maui 20+ years ago. In 2015 they added on retreats for women ages 18 and up. They also provide daily surf lessons for first timers as well as intermediate surfers. Their sleep away camp programming is designed to empower young girls and women through the sport of surfing. Whether gaining skills on a surfboard or hiking through the West Maui Mountains, their campers gain confidence in their personal strengths and abilities.
Meet Our Team
We will be working with these amazing groups to raise funds for scholarships to their programs as well as co-creating outdoor programs for our kama’aina residents.
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Executive Director
Dustin Tester, a lifelong adventurer & entrepreneur with over 23 years in business and recipient of two small business awards from the Maui Chamber of Commerce, is excited to give back in new ways to her home island of Maui. She has a gift of bringing together talented teams with various skill sets that empower our youth. Dustin plans to guide Mana O Maui to provide healing & educational opportunities in nature for our Maui community. Passing her blessings forward to the next generation is her mission.
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Secretary
Dr. Megan McClelland is the Katherine E. Smith Professor of Healthy Children and Families at Oregon State University (OSU) where she serves as Endowed Director at the Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families. Her research focuses on optimizing children's development, especially as it relates to children’s self-regulation and school success. Her recent work has examined links between self-regulation and long-term outcomes from early childhood to adulthood, advances in measuring self-regulation, and intervention efforts to improve these skills in young children. She works with colleagues and collaborators around the world to develop measures of self-regulation and improve school success in young children. She is also leading a new center to better support early childhood educators in Oregon in partnership with the Early Learning Division and a center to promote children’s environmental health. She was born and raised on Maui and has a large family there.
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President
Julia Hengst, LMFT has been practicing as a psychotherapist for over 10 years in Berkeley, CA and Maui. With a background in Media Studies, Buddhist Psychology, and Shamanic Counseling, she brings a fresh approach to self healing using concepts from various wisdom cultures around the world.
Julia has studied with many Tibetan Buddhist teachers in the lineage of the Dalai Lama for over 25 years, and with female shamanic practitioners, Suu Feathers and Dr Isa Gucciardi. An avid surfer, traveler, and word nerd, she is also working on a series of books for kids and teens that will introduce them to shamanic healing and positive psychology via the magical world of mermaids.
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Assistant Secretary
Celine Adair, says her compass has always pointed towards her two favorite things: people and nature. She has worked as a professional backpacking and river guide, surf instructor and rock climber as well as a counselor, therapist and clinical supervisor. In 2009 she and her husband founded Education Without Walls in order to provide free adventure education and mentorship to teens living in chronic poverty. Together the couple also founded The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE) which offers medical trainings and outdoor & adventure education to teens and adults. Born and raised in Brewster, NY, Celine majored in wilderness therapy and marriage & family therapy, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1999 from Prescott College and a Masters degree in marriage & family therapy in 2005 from Argosy University. Celine’s people and the natural landscape are still her true north.
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Vice Chair
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Treasurer
Alissa Magrum is a lifelong believer in being involved in things that make a profound difference in the world, and if it involves water as a healing tool, then she is all in! Alissa's introduction to Maui and the Aloha spirit was in 2015 when she participated in her first XTERRA World Championships in Kapalua. She was overwhelmed by the beauty and kindness of Maui. Since that first visit, Alissa has wanted to give back to the Maui community. Mana O Maui is the perfect fit. Alissa has a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership & Ethics and uses it every day in her work with nonprofits, businesses and individuals. She brings 25+years of experience in nonprofit management to the Mana O Maui Board of Directors and is excited to help launch the organization.
