Hawkeye women’s wrestler Nanea Estrella left Hawaii for Iowa on Aug. 14. She said leaving Hawaii “in the state of peril it was in” was the most heartbreaking thing she’s ever had to do.

“It’s a lot of safe spaces and homes that have been opened up to me that are now gone forever,” Estrella said.

Hailing from Makawao, Hawaii, Estrella started a donation drive to help bring hope to the children in West Maui who have lost everything to the wildfires.

Over 100 people have been killed in the wildfires with almost 400 others still being unaccounted for.

Online donations are accepted and physical items, such as stuffed animals, toys, and sports gear can be dropped off at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and Iowa Book and Supply through Sept. 6.

The Iowa volleyball team joined Estrella’s efforts and is accepting donations at Xtream Arena during Fryfest on Sept. 1 and before its home opener against Middle Tennessee State at 6 p.m.

“I want to give hope to the children and the kids that they will be able to recover, and they can try to find a little bit of serenity or a little bit of escape.”

Estrella first heard about the fires destroying her home while at a family barbecue in Maui on Aug. 9. She was packing her bags and saying her final goodbyes to her loved ones before flying back to Iowa City for the school year the next evening.

Her life changed with one phone call.

“There’s something going down in Lahaina,” Estrella’s boyfriend, Kai Bookings, told her over the phone. “There’s a big fire and they’re making everyone evacuate.”

Bookings had heard the news from his mother, who was at their home in Lahaina, while he was already on his way back to college with his father.

Estrella canceled her flight, which ended up being canceled anyway, so she could stay home and help support all the families she knew in any way she could.

She said the next few days she spent in Hawaii were filled with fear, devastation, and uncertainty. No one was allowed to travel toward West Maui, and the people who were stuck had no way of contacting anybody on Estrella’s side of the island.

Estrella said Bookings’ mom made it out safely, but their home was destroyed. Estrella added that her best friend, Chiarra Clark, along with a lot of her old teammates and coaches from Lahainaluna High School, lost their homes as well.

But she tried to focus on how she could be a role model and ambassador for Hawaii when she got back to Iowa City.

Estrella said she knew she wanted to set up a donation fund, but she wasn’t sure what the people in Hawaii needed most.

So, she called one of her former coaches, Kimball Bastian, to help her brainstorm ideas. Bastian lost three homes in the wildfires and said what the people needed most wasn’t food or money; it was hope.

The pair first came up with the idea for a toy drive for kids who aren’t involved in sports, so they would have something to distract themselves. Bastian then brought up the idea of doing a donation drive with athletics supplies because a lot of kids lost everything they needed to compete.

Estrella brought up both ideas to Iowa’s Community Engagement and Communications Associate Macy Anderson and the Assistant Athletics Director for Student Development Kara Park.

She said Anderson and Park were “all hands on deck” from the moment they heard what she wanted to do.

Anderson then came up with the idea to incorporate the Hawkeye volleyball team, and head coach Jim Barnes and the rest of his squad were more than willing to help.

“We hope Hawkeye Nation will join us in sending support to Hawaii,” Barnes said in a release. “We have strong connections with the people from that area and want to send our support to them to assist in their recovery process. Please, join us.”

Estrella said her family in Hawaii is safe and it means the world to her that the university is supporting the place that helped her get where she is today.

Estrella encourages everyone to never take anything for granted.

“We’re blessed to be given the opportunities that we’re given to be living and breathing and standing here today,” Estrella said. “Hug your loved ones.”