THE PHILANTHROPIST DOING GOOD WHILE…
Setting the ultimate goal of making philanthropy obsolete.
Signing a check =/= doing the groundwork.
But here, we do both.
Raised below the poverty line in Hawai’i, the state with the highest homelessness rate in the U.S., Doctor Kiona is firm in her belief that people should be taken care of by their government and each other. Rather than blindly sign blank checks, Doctor Kiona launches grassroots programs following that same mission. Below are her past, present, and future projects.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE RAP SHEET
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TAKE A LOOK AT THE RAP SHEET 〰️
Want to give back? The Doctor Kiona community is always sponsoring the following programs:
All donations—material and monetary—go directly to fund the following programs. We never take a cut.
HOW NOT TO GRAD SCHOOL LIKE A BASIC BITCH PROGRAM
Drawing upon the advice of 50+ POC PhD, funding, and admissions experts, this 21-workshop series showcases how to apply, survive, and flourish in institutions where diversity is not prioritized (and often tokenized). Over 1,200+ attendees have gone through the program with $10,000 in scholarships to POC grad school applicants given out.
ONGOING PHONE DONATION PROGRAM
Doctor Kiona has refurbished and donated 100+ phones to citizens throughout El Salvador and Cuba. (And yes, she’s always accepting phones, tablets, and computers!)
MANDATORY CUBAN MEDICAL DONATION PROGRAM
With the blockade making hospitals understocked, Doctor Kiona runs a mandatory medical donation program through Reroot. To date, the Doctor Kiona community has donated 700+ menstrual products, a year’s worth of seizure medicine, and countless sheets, medicine, syringes, gloves, and diabetes apparatuses.
ONGOING CUBAN NAIL SALON DONATION PROGRAM
Due to the blockade, Cuban nail salons have little-to-no supplies. When a local nail tech reached out to Doctor Kiona looking to stock her business, Kiona posted the woman’s story on TikTok. The video went viral, and do-gooders around the globe mailed in their old supplies. Today, there is an Amazon wish list available to help fund this small business owner.
Supporting children and students throughout the globe:
50+
Students received tablets, school shoes, and a backpack of school supplies in the Surf Kids program. All students took part in the program in exchange for staying in school in COVID.
50
Gallons of paint donated to repaint a school
800+
Backpacks donated filled with school and hygiene supplies.
25+
Jerseys purchased to outfit a school soccer program.
50+
Students received backpacks of school supplies during the Skate Kids program, a local skate competition.
31+
Computers and tablets donated to elementary and medical students throughout El Salvador and Cuba.
$10,000+
In scholarships given to POC applying to grad school.
50
Pairs of shoes donated to student athletes.
Helping to bring dreams to life:
$25,000
Raised for Hmong and Mien farmers in Seattle by selling 700 bouquets of flowers.
3
Fish tanks donated, providing a sustainable source of food, income, and fertilizer as a rehabilitation program for previously-incarcerated gang members.
$5,000
Raised as a travel fund for two junior surfers from El Salvador and Guatemala. The surfers became their respective country’s first representative at the World Surf League and the International Surf Competition.
1
Horse purchased (along with horse feed!) for a farmer who was forced to sell the animal during COVID.
100+
Local community and academic experts employed throughout the Americas and the Pacific.
12
Travelers gifted flights and learned the ropes of traveling as part of the First Time Travelers program.
Empowering local communities:
$500,000
Raised for local communities through Reroot, Kiona’s educational tour company.
$25,000
Raised for Hmong and Mien farmers in Seattle by selling 700 bouquets of flowers.
$3,000
Raised when locust swarms and COVID lockdowns caused a food shortage in Uganda.
1
Life-saving AED machine donated to the El Savlador coast after the tragic death of a surfer.
2
Mosquito fumigation machines donated to service 10+ municipalities, creating jobs and preventing dengue, a mosquito disease.
31
Computers and tablets donated to elementary and medical students throughout El Salvador and Cuba.
$3,000
Donated to provide food and shelter to the Thirty Meter Telescope protesters on Mauna Kea, a sacred mountain.
$30,600
Donated to elderly and child refugees taking refuge in a church after an earthquake in Lebanon.
$13,000+
Raised to support Afro-Cuban-Chinese families, purchasing Parkinson's medication, adult diapers, food, and other necessities, during COVID lockdowns.
$16,000
In cancellation fees donated during COVID to local communities
$600k+ RAISED FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES
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$600k+ RAISED FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES 〰️
This community has raised a collective $600,000+ for local programs to date.
That’s a helluva lot of money, and with a lot of funds comes the need for a lot of transparency. Doctor Kiona regularly shares monthly reports stating dollar-for-dollar on how funds are used on her Patreon. To join the community and see an ongoing account of these initiatives, please join the Doctor Kiona Patreon.