“I’m just a girl with a boat”- Captain Kelsey
Captain Kelsey Waliszewski started For Children to Flourish, December 2021, with the goal of giving back to her local community on the Big Island. As the owner/boat captain for Da Whale Boat, it was her priority to make sure that her boat business, established as an LLC, took a break from tourism and transitioned to local education and respite. In her message of altruism, inspired by the humpback whales, she has learned the importance that giving to others brings true fulfillment.
Renee Perrington, Project Coordinator for For Children to Flourish, carries a similar passion for the ocean and heartbeat for the Big Island community. As the regional director for Hoolanapua in 2015, Renee met Kelsey at an event and instantly shared the same justice gene in fighting sexual exploitation. Understanding it takes a village to do great work on this planet, Renee is an advocate of organizations wanting to make this world, and more importantly, Big Island, a better place. She is now the founder of Sustainably Sovereign, an organization that creates and shares stories of hope to inspire other’s participation, and is the amazing part-time coordinator for FCTF, a perfect fit as her roles tend to overlap.
A little more about Kelsey: She is the founder of Moi Moi Market, an online marketplace that makes it easy for folks to find and buy products of purpose: that help women out of sexual exploitation, provide clean water, build schools, and clean up our oceans. She is also the host of The Talking Story Podcast, a podcast that shares stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things hoping to give the listener tools to use to positively impact their community and use their life for purpose. Her co-host, Bob Waliszewski, retired Focus on the Family Plugged In Movie Director.
She is an avid kiteboarder, triathlete, world traveler and boat business owner and captain of a whale watch operation on the Big Island. Kelsey's love for challenge and adventure is a huge part of who she is. "I believe women are capable of anything they put their mind to, and I have tried to exemplify that truth statement in my life." Her heart to help others is ultimately the purpose of her existence, which has been cultivated in her love for Jesus. Although working full time, she believes in giving back to the community, and has served at Heart Ranch and Ho'ola Na Pua here on the Big Island, Hawaii. Find her on social media @captainkelseyhawaii
Listen to Kelsey's story here on The Moxie Podcast
Learn more from Kelsey about Sex Trafficking in her conversation with The Clapback Couch Podcast
Go whale watch with Captain Kelsey (www.dawhaleboat.com)
Learn more about projects in Hawaii and Africa (how the Children's book started)
Here's another interview with Kelsey about why caring about where we spend our money is important!