Volunteer on Vacation in Hawaii!

I can't really think of a better vacation, can you? A trip to Hawaii where you can enjoy sunshine, turquoise water, clear skies, and making the world a better place.  As I mentioned in my post, 5 Tips to Help You Find Time to Volunteer, voluntourism can be a great option for giving back and having fun!

Below are some Hawaiian volunteer vacation ideas:

1. In her post Volunteer on Vacation while in Hawaii, Cherie Attix, owner of the Hale Hookipa Inn Maui Bed and Breakfast, announced the launch of her new website, Volunteer-on-vacation-hawaii.com. The website is part of her, "latest effort in preservation of our special environment here in Hawaii."  The site has links to volunteer projects on Maui and other organizations in Hawaii that sometimes need volunteers. If you volunteer while at the Hale Hookipa Inn, Attix will give you a 5% discount on your visit, and donate 5% to the organization you volunteer with. Check out the small piece about the Hale Hookipa Inn in the O Magazine article, 4 Hotels with an Edge on Voluntourism.

2. According to the Travelanthropist's post, Budget Volunteer Vacations: Hawaiian Eco-Adventure, you can spend your Hawaiian volunteer vacation helping to restore Kahoolawe, a small island off the coast of Maui.

3. Kirsten Whatley, in her article Volunteer Vacations in the Hawaiian Islands on travelwithachallenge.com recommends volunteering with the Hawai'i Wildlife Center, Three Ring Ranch Exotic Animal Sanctuary, Sierra Club Hawai'i Chapter (Oahu Group), the Wild Dolphin Foundation, and the East Maui Animal Refuge. You can find more ideas in her book, Preserving Paradise: Opportunities in Volunteering for Hawaii's Environment.

4. In her post, Travel Green Hawaii on the Perceptive Travel Blog, Liz suggests volunteering with Mālama Hawai'i, the Sierra Club Hawai'i, and the Hawaii Audubon Society.

5. If you are a physician, dentist or nurse, you can volunteer with the Aloha Medical Missions.

6. In their post VolunTourism in Hawaii the Hawaii Vacation blog has all kinds of suggestions for volunteer vacations from the Sheraton Kaua'i Resort's Mālama Kaua'i green getaway package, which includes opportunities to work with local nonprofits, to counting whales for the Hawaiian Islands Humpack Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

Have you ever volunteered on a vacation?  Share your story in the comments, or in the WE tv forums.