Why do we do what we do?

Meet Captain Kelsey Waliszewski, Founder

Captain Kelsey, Founder of For Children to Flourish (501c3), is deeply passionate about the ocean and the incredible life within it. She believes every person deserves the opportunity to experience its beauty and transformative power. As someone who has personally walked through the challenges of divorce and healing, Kelsey understands firsthand how the ocean can serve as a place of restoration—helping individuals overcome fear, find hope, and grow stronger.

From 2009 to 2020, Kelsey served as a youth worker and volunteer in Hilo, where she developed a deep commitment to supporting local keiki. She believes children thrive when they are given safe, enriching, and hands-on opportunities to explore new experiences. Exposure to the ocean not only reinforces valuable life lessons, but also fosters confidence, resilience, and lifelong sustainable practices.

Kelsey is also the owner of Da Whale Boat and currently serves as President of For Children to Flourish. Her vision is to help expand the organization’s impact and take FCTF to the next level. She is serving as the volunteer Interim Project Coordinator through the remainder of the 2026 season.

For questions regarding upcoming trips, please call 808-938-8884 or email aloha@forchildrentoflourish.org

Meet Renee, our Project Coordinator April 2022-April 2024

Renee wore many hats at For Children to Flourish, but wears many hats in life in general. She is a wife, mom of 4, friend to many, lover of all creatures, and warrior for our planet and our kids. We are thankful for her time served at For Children to Flourish and proud that she was instrumental in helping take out almost 1000 keiki and their families out on the ocean during her time with us. We wish her the best in her next endeavors.

Dream it.

Change begins with dreams. Explore our website to learn more about the projects For Children to Flourish will be a part of in the next 5 years. However, we can’t do it without you.

Build it.

For these dreams to come to fruition, we need you. Volunteers, Collaborators, and Financial Supporters are the building blocks to making these dreams a reality. Would you consider partnering with us in some way today?

Grow it.

We can’t wait to see these dreams grow. Continue to check out our website or sign up for our emails to learn how your time and/or financial gift is helping good things take place around the planet.

Share it.

In the world of social media, it is easy to share a meme or food dish that gives us that temporary happiness. However, what if we used our platforms and became influencers. Doesn’t matter if you have a following of 2 or 2 million, or anywhere in between, would you consider joining us in inspiring others to get involved in ways that help bring hope and healing to others. Find us on facebook or instagram @for_children_to_flourish