ABOUT US


WHO WE ARE

Meet the Board of Directors & Staff

  • Stefan Swanepoel

    PRESIDENT

    AREA OF EXPERTISE: Leadership, Strategy, Marketing

    BIO: Stefan and his wife Era are permanent Kaua’i residents and active members of the North Shore community. Stefan serves as president of Princeville II Community Association; is founder of I Heart Princeville, the free informative online resource for the North Shore.; and is chair of the Foundation’s fundraising platform, North Shore Give.

    Stefan has authored or co-authored over 50 books and is widely recognized as one of the leading visionaries on real estate trends in the United States. He remains active in the industry as Chairman of a number of companies including T3 Sixty, T3 Data, T3 Talent, T3 Events Group, and Real Estate News.

  • Louis LaFratta

    VICE PRESIDENT

    AREA OF EXPERTISE: Community Service, Residential Real Estate

    BIO: Louis is a full-time resident of the North Shore of Kaua’i. He is one of the Brokers-in-Charge at Oceanfront Sotheby’s International Realty and served as President of the Kaua’i Board of Realtors in 2023. One of Louis’s passions is volunteerism and community service. He is a longtime member of the Kaua’i North Shore Lions Club and is currently the Club President, and serves on the organizing committee for the Foundation’s annual Ohana FitFest Obstacle Fun Run.

  • Mary Paterson

    SECRETARY

    AREA OF EXPERTISE: Community Engagement, Fundraising, Nonprofit Management

    BIO: Originally from Henley-on-Thames, England, Mary has made the North Shore her home since 1987. Mary is actively engaged in the community as a nonprofit volunteer: she is a founding member of the Foundation, and regularly volunteers with the Kaua’i North Shore Lions Club, Rotary Club of Hanalei Bay, Namahana School, and other nonprofits.

    Previously, Mary owned Custom Care Company, working with VIP clients to coordinate their property and concierge needs, and was the Promotions Manager in the marketing department at Princeville Corp.

  • April McGinnis

    TREASURER

    AREA OF EXPERTISE: Finance, Fundraising, Event Planning

    BIO: April has been an active volunteer on the North Shore since she moved to Princeville​​ ​with her husband and three daughters​​ in 2006. Her volunteer roles have included: Hanalei School PTSA Treasurer (4 years), the only North Shore Girl Scout Troop Leader (6 years), and Kapa’a High School PTSA Secretary and Treasurer (over 4 years). In addition to serving as Treasurer for the Kaua’i North Shore Community Foundation, April is a the team leader of the North Shore Dog Park and ​the ​SAVOR fundraiser.

    April has worked at the Princeville at Hanalei Community Association since 2006 in various management roles and currently serves as the community liaison to the Design Review Committee. April also provides bookkeeping services for local organizations and ​bakes desserts for her cake and cupcake business.

  • Lorraine Mull

    DIRECTOR

    AREA OF EXPERTISE: Fundraising, Legal

    BIO: Lorri has been a property owner on Kaua’i since 1984 and a full-time resident of the North Shore since 1992. Originally from Louisiana, Lorri was a law clerk to the Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court and served as Dean of Admissions of Tulane Law School, prior to engaging in a full time law practice. She served on the board of the Women’s Health Foundation in Louisiana, and was named as one of the “Outstanding Young Women of America”. Lorri was actively involved as a board member for the Hanalei and Kula PTSA for many years and a volunteer for the Red Cross swimming program.

    Lorri came to the Foundation board with the strong focus of creating a public secondary school which the community has needed for many years. Her vision, drive and commitment led to the creation of the Namahana School which has now been handed over to the Namahana Education Foundation (NEF) to continue its path to reality. Lorri is on the board of NEF and is committed to seeing her vision come true.

  • Ken Rosenthal

    DIRECTOR

    AREA OF EXPERTISE: Finance, Fitness

    BIO: A permanent resident of Kaua’i, Ken is a passionate advocate for physical and fiscal fitness. He has taught fitness classes for over 30 years, is a former 6-time U.S., National, and World Aerobic Champion, and owned a health and fitness club in San Diego. Ken has an MBA in Marketing, Finance and Entrepreneurship from Arizona State University and a BA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. For over 30 years, Ken has worked for a nonprofit economic development lending company, with a nationwide mission to increase access to capital for owner-user commercial real estate and business loans.

    Ken is the chair of the Foundation’s Health & Wellness Committee and founder of the annual Ohana FitFest obstacle fun run. He serves on the board of the Ka’iulani Board of Directors and currently is its Treasurer.

  • Rory Enright

    DIRECTOR

    AREA OF EXPERTISE: Management, Human Resources, Community Engagement

    BIO: Rory is a highly engaged local North Shore community member. He is on the board of the Ka’iulani Homeowners Association and currently serves as its president. Rory is the most recent past president of the Kaua’i North Shore Community Foundation, was general manager of the Princeville at Hanalei Community Association, and a member of the Kaua’i Chamber of Commerce board and its Government Affairs Committee.

  • Maylette Garces

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    AREA OF EXPERTISE: Management, Marketing, Community Engagement

    BIO: Since she moved to the North Shore almost 15 years ago, Maylette has had active involvement in the community. She was previously general manager of the Princeville at Hanalei Community Association (PHCA), volunteered for the Foundation and is co-director of the Ohana FitFest event, serves as a North Shore leader for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and actively volunteers for other nonprofits.

    Maylette is the Foundation’s first full-time executive director.. In addition to PHCA, Maylette has previously served in executive management roles primarily in the hospitality industry.

About North Shore Give

North Shore Give is dba for the charitable nonprofit Kauaʻi North Shore Community Foundation, a catalyst that responds to community needs by igniting action, mobilizing volunteers, and raising funds. The Foundation serves donors by putting their philanthropy to work in the community; connects nonprofits, donors, and other organizations to solve community challenges; and provides a hub for sharing information with the community.

The Foundation was incorporated in the State of Hawaii on July 25, 2012 as a 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization. Donations are tax-deductible. Our organization’s EIN is 46-0709000.

North Shore Give is a non-profit community foundation—one of more than 750 across the United States—that seeks to play a key role in identifying community needs and being part of the solution. Community foundations create philanthropic pathways in their communities by establishing flexible, yet permanent funds supported by a wide range of donors. In partnering with donors to make an impact on the issues that matter most to them and their community, the Foundation raises funds for specific projects and makes grants to other nonprofits whose missions closely align with our mission and community needs. 

We are collaborative, connecting with a variety of nonprofit and institutional organizations, including schools, health care facilities and service organizations, to positively impact the moku of Halele‘a and Ko‘olau and their respective ahupua‘a:

Halele‘a ( Ke‘e, Wainiha, Lumaha‘i, Kalihiwai, Kalihikai (Princeville), Hanalei,  Wai‘oli, Waipā,  Waikoko )

Ko‘olau ( Nāmāhana, Kīlauea,  Kāhili, Waiakalua, Pīla‘a, Waipakē,  Lepe‘uli, Ka‘aka‘aniu, Moloa‘a, Aliomanu, Papa‘a, Anahola )

Certificate of Good Standing

ADVISORY COUNCIL

The Foundation is grateful for the knowledge, expertise and advice this independent group of civic and community leaders provide to our organization and to our community.

  • Joan Porter

  • Gina Lobaco

  • Stacy Sproat-Beck

  • Bristol Lantagne

  • Gary Pacheco

  • Bob Doyle

  • Rosemary Vali

  • Nance Overton

  • Neil J Clendeninn MD, PhD

Working Together - Our Supporters

It is with deep gratitude that the Kaua'i North Shore Community Foundation acknowledges our donors and volunteers.

OUR FOUNDERS' CIRCLE

2012 - 2015

Jane Abramo
Susan & Steve Barnett
Sharon & Dallas Brown
Peter & Mimi Buckley
Barbara & Garry Cameron
Lucy & Steve Cookson
Michael Dexter-Smith
Bob Doyle
Wendy Elsasser
Rory Enright
Rick Gerding
Hale Uluwehi Charitable Fund
Nancy & R. Scott Lindman
Gina Lobaco
Jonathan McRoberts

Lorraine Mull
Gayle & Brent Naylor
Ann & John Petrovits
Na Pali Properties
Mary Paterson
Joan & Bill Porter
Barbara Lee Rosebrook
Ken Rosenthal & Maylette Garces
Miyuki Scheidel, in memory of Herb Scheidel
Barbara & Dick Smith
Elaine Spence
Susan Worth
Bob & Jane Wright
Teresa Young
& 2 Anonymous donors

  • EDUCATION TEAM

    Lorraine Mull - Team Chair
    Mary Paterson
    Rose Vali
    Jonathan McRoberts
    Joy Brahmst

    Team Advisors:
    Devin Kamealoha Forrest
    Jennifer Luck
    Polly Philips
    Stacy Sproat-Beck

  • HEALTH & WELLNESS TEAM

    Ken Rosenthal, Team Chair & Ohana Fit Fest Director
    Carla LaFratta
    Laura James
    Louis LaFratta
    Maylette Garces
    Mike James
    Rory Enright

  • NORTH SHORE GIVE TEAM

    Stefan Swanepoel, Team Chair
    Ellene Grace
    Era Swanepoel
    Maylette Garces
    Steve Latham
    Trevor Romain

  • NORTH SHORE DOG PARK TEAM

    April McGinnis, Team Chair
    Desiree Devore
    Mary Paterson
    Rory Enright
    Tsajon Von Lixfeld

Tributes

Joan & Bill Porter

Anaina Hou Community Park and Philanthropists

Nance Overton

Former KNSCF board member and current GOOT board member

Bob Wright

Photographer and Friend of the Foundation

Bill Porter, the founder of E-trade, was many things, including a cowboy, Navy sailor, MIT graduate, innovator, entrepreneur, father, husband, grandfather, and great-grandfather. But to those of us who live on Kauai, he was a philanthropist who used his fortune to improve the North Shore community through organic farming, recreation, and education. 

We first learned of Bill & Joan Porter in 2006, when they purchased the serene Stone Dam and 500 surrounding acres as an investment property for their 11 grandchildren. They named it Wai Koa Plantation and, rather than let the property sit waiting for its future inheritors, the Porters chose to use the land for public good. Over the next decade, they came up with a wide range of philanthropic visions, transforming the former guava farm into one of the North Shore’s most treasured community assets.  The crown jewel of the property is the historic Stone Dam, erected in 1880, which continues to feed nearby small farming operations.

On a portion of their property adjacent to Kuhio Highway, the Porters created the Anaina Hou Community Park which serves as a community gathering place. One of their first projects in the park was the creation of an 18-hole miniature golf course and botanical garden that blends mini-golf for all ages with the rich cultural and ecological history of the island. This was shortly followed by the building of a five-mile loop trail, a variety of agricultural pursuits and the largest mahogany forest in the US. In 2019, The Hawaiian Island Land Trust (HILT) was granted a conservation easement within Wai Koa, so the trail will remain open to the public in perpetuity.

The Porter Pavilion, which was completed in 2018, has hosted many community events, including a weekly farmers market, a bus stop with a park & ride space, and several other structures. It was the venue for our signature SAVOR event in 2018 & 2019, and has offered classroom space for our after-school programs. A unique playground designed by Leathers & Associates was completed at the end of 2018.  The structures were built in part by reused milk jugs and include other reusable resources and sustainable ideas; many community volunteers rolled up their sleeves to help make it a reality for the North Shore keiki. 

The Porters have supported the Kauai North Shore Community Foundation from the beginning. In 2013, they granted KNSCF a license on a one-acre piece in the Wai Koa Plantation for our first project – a dog park.  With the help of an anonymous donor who came up with the idea and provided the capital, and to the many volunteers and donors who made it a reality, the North Shore Dog Park has been a popular place for dogs and their owners to socialize off-leash.

But the Porters didn’t stop there!  Fueled by their keen interest in community-based education, Bill and Joan started Pu‘ukumu Middle School which opened on the site of the former Kula School at Moloa‘a. Plans were underway for a school site at Anaina Hou but, due to factors beyond the Porters’ control, Pu‘ukumu did not survive.

In 2016, Joan made the decision to honor Bill’s memory and further his vision of a middle/high school on the North Shore that would be available to all the children in the community.  In this spirit, she generously licensed an 8-acre parcel of land adjacent to the North Shore Dog Park for a public charter school.  With a 99-year land lease in hand, it became the turning point for the KNSCF initiative to establish a charter school on the North Shore.  Over the last 6 years, we have attracted volunteers, donors, and community leaders who have come together to help bring this dream to fruition. 

On June 23, 2022, the Hawaii State Charter School Commission unanimously approved KNSCF’s application for Namahana Charter School.  With the charter in hand, the next phase of the work begins to raise funds to build and operate the school. We are working with the school’s new non-profit, Namahana Education Foundation to support the upcoming capital campaign.

It is with great gratitude that we pay tribute to Bill and Joan Porter. Their vision, generosity, and love for our community is appreciated by all who have had the privilege of knowing them and those whose lives will be forever enhanced by their philanthropy.

A Tribute to Nance Overton By Mary Paterson, 2020

Dear Nance,

I’ve been reflecting on our relationship over the years and started thinking about the many aspects of your involvement with the Foundation that have benefited us all in an incredible variety of ways. I have likely missed some of them, but my respect and gratitude grew immensely while putting this list together to share with our board, some of whom may not know the level of commitment and professionalism you have brought to our little non-profit! 

•        Super Volunteer – You, April & Rose are exemplary volunteers who became board members.

•        XQ Challenge – being on the XQ Challenge team with you in 2015 was supercharged! As a former teacher, you were part of a formidable team that included Ric, Rose, Lorri, Sheldon, and I, and our success propelled us on our amazing Let’s Build A School (LBAS) journey. It also set the groundwork and vision for our public charter school.

•            Slack – Always the stickler for doing things correctly, in 2016 you set up and managed this new method of communication and document sharing so we could work more efficiently on our various teams. I think we were recalcitrant students, but the documentation lives on for reference!

•        Social Media – you took over admin of our sorry FB page at the get-go and engaged with the community regularly so that our FB friends and outreach grew exponentially. I believe you also started an Instagram account, which nobody has taken over!

•        Editing skills – your background in technical writing proved over and over again to be incredibly valuable when editing our documents, reports, emails, press releases, and just about everything else!

•        Donor Perfect & Constant Contact– from the beginning, you worked with me on our donor base and battled the frustrations of dealing with their ghastly reporting!

•        Messaging/Marketing – Using constant contact, you routinely wrote and designed our email blasts which helped so much with our community outreach. Teresa recalls recruiting you for the marketing committee to help us navigate the various media opportunities, and you became our messaging watchdog.

•        Graphics – you have left your mark on so many visuals over the years, especially related to education, and they are now safely stored in our Google Drive. You got me motivated to get back into desktop publishing so I could carry on!

•        Google Drive – you drove us towards better documentation practices setting up and teaching us how to use this platform. Before you left our board, you uploaded every document you’d saved and worked on to the drive leaving it incredibly well-organized for us all to follow.

•        SAVOR – You were there with us every step of the way – every year and every meeting. This has been the Foundation’s single most successful fundraiser for our educational ambitions.

•        Salesforce – huddling with Rose and I for hours at a time while we learned the non-profit module will be forever in my memory! I learned SO much from you two.

•        After School Programs – your involvement on the Education Committee allowed us to create programs for students with the most pressing needs. The sheer volume of outlines, plans, and forms you designed & implemented so we could run each program is extraordinary!

·       LEAP Forward – you created and administered the Foundations’ most successful free education program which helped many 6th graders prepare for middle school.

·       Help Me With My Homework (HMWMH) – as creator and writer of the incredible business plan for the after-school homework program, we entered the Hogan/ASB competition. Amazingly, we got to the finals, and Lorri and I traveled to Honolulu to pitch the program, and we won the Foundations’ first $5,000 grant. We were both thrilled you got to go and accept the award. This same plan went on to help me raise another $20,000 from a single donor!

·       iLearn - Brainstorming with our team-mates on ways to modernize and update the HMWMH program and help keep it relevant, we revamped it as iLearn.

·       Code Camp & SAT Prep - You helped create and manage both these successful fee programs.

In closing, this is all evidence of your big heart, your teaching skills, and your incredible donation of time and talent. You’ve left a superb mark on our Foundation and the community has benefited tremendously - we are forever grateful.

As you deal with these new health challenges, we hope you’ll face them with the tenacity, strength, and wisdom you’ve shown us over the years.

With deep appreciation,

Mary Paterson

Even in his 80’s, Bob was a force to be reckoned with.  He had a full life and many talents - photography being just one of them.  He began photography while living in Aspen, Colorado and studied under Franz Berko.

Landscapes and the natural world became a passion that continued while living in the Chesapeake Bay area of New England, before moving to Kauai. He received a "BEST IN SHOW" award from the International Wildlife Film Festival (IWFF) and Rocky Mountain School of Photography.  As an active member of North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA,) he continued to gain an appreciation for the natural world.

During his 12 years on Kauai, his work appeared in galleries, craft shows, magazine articles, a book and his website, both named Images of Kauai. He belonged to the Camera Club of Kauai and made many friends. 

His unwavering support of the Foundation over the years has been both a joy and a great benefit to us as a growing volunteer-led non-profit.  With the addition of his “Flying Tripod” (a nickname for the variety of drones he used for aerial shots), his scope of work doubled and became an important part of his portfolio.  His photographs grace the walls of many homes and he was loved by everyone he knew. 

Bob helped the Foundation by providing photos and posts for our Facebook page for several years and collaborated on a limited-edition book called Tributes that was to be given to donors who contributed $5,000 or more to the Foundation. We were fortunate to be able to give him a copy only weeks before his passing in September 2019. 

He was passionate about his work, and this is how Bob explains it in his book, IMAGES OF KAUAI.

“My goal is to instill a mood or feeling in my images as I share my view of the natural beauty of this paradise.  I am indebted to the creative energies of numerous photographic workshops that never fail to show me new avenues and new paths to follow in the creative and technical process.  They inspire me to transfer my ideas to film and paper so the viewers may see my vision, my craft, my art form, and my passion for our Kauai”.

We miss you Bob, but thank you for your joyful contributions to the community and our Community Foundation.