2025 Commitment to Community
First presented in 2022, the 61传媒 Commitment to Community award recognizes an alum for their high achievement in community service and volunteer work beyond 61传媒. The award honors an individual who has carried the spirit of confidence, courage, and hope beyond Honnold Gate. The award is presented each year during Reunion Weekend. Read about past recipients here.听
Nara Boone is a singer, voice teacher, housing advocate, community activist, and accidental politician. She is active in meaningful community efforts: co-founder of鈥�攁 community group advocating for and educating people on Renter鈥檚 Rights; Maui Facilitator for Wisdom Circles Oceania鈥攁 non-profit specializing in therapeutic art and music programs; and a founding member on the Steering Committee for鈥疢aui Grassroots Collective鈥�(MGC). MGC is a non-profit being built from the ground up, with a foundation of bucking expected norms and championing organizations committed to centering Maui鈥檚 most vulnerable populations.
The third oldest of nine kids, Nara鈥檚 parents are her role models for community mindedness. Her mother, 鈥淭ina the Midwife,鈥� often welcomed laboring women into their home to give birth. Her father Chico, a photographer, treated everyone as a friend鈥攅ven giving her new roommate鈥檚 father the (literal) shirt off his back on their first day at 61传媒.
Nara credits Professors Jane O鈥橠onnell and Michael Lamkin as major influences on her journey to becoming an established singer and voice teacher. Their support echoes in her ears, even now. Whether teaching in local schools or with private clients, Ms. Boone focuses on empowering and amplifying community voices, while emphasizing freedom of self-expression, empathy, and connectedness.
She became a 鈥淗ousing Advocate鈥� out of necessity. Displaced during Covid鈥攚hile sweeping gentrification and off-island investors sent local rents skyrocketing鈥攊t took over a year of housing insecurity before finding a place she and her family could afford. Thus, the seed for鈥疢aui Housing Hui鈥痺as planted.
In 2022, Nara was surprised and honored to be asked to run for Maui County Council. A daunting task, the opportunity to help her community in a larger capacity tipped the scales. Though ultimately not elected, Ms. Boone鈥檚 reputation was established as a leader for the underrepresented long-term residents of Maui. She ran again in 2024鈥攑ersistent in her quest for Maui鈥檚 people鈥攆inishing with a respectable 22,000 votes.
The tragic wildfires of August 8, 2023 sent the county鈥檚 residents into Mutual Aid overdrive. As spokesperson and Advocacy Director for Maui Housing Hui, Nara granted numerous news interviews, gave speeches, and led marches urging officials to house fire survivors. This work continues with grassroots advocacy at the State Capitol, weekly meetings with the Governor鈥檚 鈥淥ffice of Wellness and Resilience鈥� and involvement with the 鈥淟ong Term Recovery Group.鈥� By October of that year, Wisdom Circles Oceania welcomed her on board to assist in the trauma processing/soothing of both fire survivors and community organizers on the front lines of recovery鈥� through therapeutic art and music. Shortly thereafter, the Maui Grassroots Collective was formed. Maui Housing Hui is one of four founding organizations in MGC dedicated to putting Maui鈥檚 people first.