About TVP - The Volcano Project Hotel & Culinary Institute Job Creation & Training Center, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Big island, Hawaii

Introduction to Volcano

Welcome to Volcano and Volcano National Park. This wonder of creation has called at me from my childhood and it is now my home. Perhaps it has always been my home. So let me share with you how this came to be.

I was a child of six when my parents brought my sisters and brother’s and me to the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. Dad wanted us to see the family homestead in O’okala and to meet aunts and uncles who were getting on in years; family that my dad knew and spent time with when he was growing up. Some of them were cowboys at Kukaiau Ranch and others had farms of their own or were employed in other occupations as diverse as engineer or Captain of the Kulani prison guard. All of them were commited residents of this Big Island.

And we came to see the volcano. It was an old friend to many of my relatives. They called this place by it’s name; Kīlauea. And Halemaʻumaʻu; that great opening in the earth, was more than a crater; it was home to Pele; a force of creation that was always respected. And the great mountain that rose over this place was called by its name; Mauna Loa. I had a hard time figuring out which of the places was THE volcano; at least, at first. These places and their forest and landscape were already home to family members for many decades and through intermarriage with the true people of this land; it felt as if my roots went back to an ancient time that I could only touch by going to and looking for myself. Yes; the rock walls, the deep valleys and sacred places spoke to me as we traveled this island where relationships were deep and only spoken of when the moment was right. We learned respect by feeling it.

cont'd on "Benefits"

About Volcano Project

Our Mission

The Volcano Projectʻs (TVP) mission is to create and operate a self-sustaining, world-class hotel & culinary institute at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park's Volcano House hotel concession, and provide training and job opportunities to the unemployed and disenfranchised, with a focus on youth at risk. Through meaningful and practical education in the culinary arts, hospitality industry, and Hawaiian culture, the Volcano Project will enhance the international and local visitor experience with the true Hawaiian spirit of Aloha.

Our Project

Once in a blue moon, a rare opportunity presents itself. Such is the case with the National Park's Volcano House hotel concession, an historic hotel and restaurant, built on the rim of Kīlauea caldera, the worldʻs most active volcano, in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. As the owner of Volcano House, the National Park Service (NPS) has leased the property to various concessioners over the years. These leases have run for 10, 20 or even 30 years.

After more than 25 years, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park has released an RFP (request for proposals) for their Volcano House hotel concession. Interested parties can bid to become the new concessioner. TVP will be placing a bid, planning to transform this fabulous venue into a world-class hotel and culinary institute, with the primary goal of serving the Park by enhancing the visitor experience while fostering economic independence and self sufficiency for our youth. This job creation initiative will be open to all local communities and surrounding Hawaiian Islands, and beyond.

The hotel & restaurant will remain open to the public, staffed by professionals, with student interns, and their professors, training them in various positions of the hospitality industry.

The bidding process started on Dec. 10 2009. All bids must be submitted no later than March 22, 2010. The National Park Service will announce their selection in time for the new concessioner to take over by July 1st, 2010. This project is unprecedented in that a non-profit organization, with an educational job training and employment initiative, will place a bid for this concession within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park! This is a landmark event!

As a non-profit, TVP can direct all revenues back to the institute for the benefit of our students, employees, park visitors and community at large, in effect allowing us to deliver a superior experience for a more reasonable price.

The NPS's Volcano House hotel concession is a highly profitable establishment as the park enjoys over 2 million visitors a year. With 32 rooms, 10 cabins and 6 campsites, it is the only hotel in the immediate area; due to various building restrictions, it will remain so, far into the future. The hotel is usually booked to capacity and, with the restaurant and boutiques, generates revenues of approximately $8 million a year - more than enough to support a self-sustaining hotel & culinary institute!

How You Can Help Us Win the Bid!

To make the Volcano Project's Hotel & Culinary Institute a reality, we need your help! If you would like to support this world-class job creation and training center, click here.