Aloha Ilio Rescue was started on The Big Island in Hawaii when President/Founder Daylynn Kyles was trying to help another local rescue and, as she puts it, “I wasn’t met with open arms.” Frustrated with her inability to help animals through other organizations, Kyles started Aloha Ilio Rescue as an LLC, then became a nonprofit 501c3 in 2016. She says it has grown way more than she thought it ever would, which is fantastic for the animals there that need help. We had an opportunity to chat with Kyles about the rescue, what they’ve been doing, and how one person can make such a dramatic difference for animals. Here’s what she told us.
Is there anything that sets you apart from other animal rescues/shelters?
I am a local girl from here, so my connections within the community make it much easier for me to reach out and talk to people. I’ve grown up here so I know a lot of people, know the hardships involved, know the generational poverty, and how people here have treated their dogs for as long as I can remember. But being able to go into these communities and be welcomed, makes it much easier to be heard and they know I come from a place of no judgment.
Tell us about the services you offer.
We offer low-cost or no-cost spay/neuter. We have an emergency medical fund that we use for assisting dogs here locally that run into situations needing emergency care. We hand out dog food to the community and also to our houseless community. We are an intake facility as much as we can.
Is there a significance to the name of your organization or the logo?
The Hawaiian word Aloha…if you were to ask someone in Hawaii, “What does aloha mean to you?” you may receive a variety of answers. Aloha is an essence of being: love, peace, compassion, and a mutual understanding of respect. Aloha means living in harmony with the people and land around you with mercy, sympathy, grace, and kindness. The word Ilio is Hawaiian for Dog.
Why is saving animals so important to you?
It is important because they cannot speak for themselves. I have loved animals my entire life. I started with training dogs when I was 13 years old and I’m now 59…so that’s a long time!
What difficulties are you experiencing right now and what can people do to help?
Like any rescue, funding is an issue. I think people assume that tons of money pours into our organizations, but this isn’t true for us. We rely on grants which are specific to a certain cause, like spay/neuter. That doesn’t help the day-to-day operations, like food, payroll, gas, insurance, veterinary medical bills, monthly medicines for dogs, car repairs, etc. It’s a little more than $70k a month for us to operate.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I am building this rescue with the intent that it can carry on. I don’t want this to only exist because of me. Everything I do, everything I build, is with the thought of the next generation of rescue that comes in to take over. The community will always need our help. I want us to be there for them.
This Rescue Spotlight is sponsored by Girl Paddlers.