Years of Devotion and Commitment.
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Crystal Smith, founder of Hearts for Animals Maui began rescuing homeless animals on Maui right out of high school.

She was one of the only special souls going into the sugarcane fields, performing dog and cat rescue with special permits to enter years ago, these fields were set on fire for harvesting. 

Crystal had also been driving the road to Hana multiple times per week. Her purpose was to bring food and water to the homeless cats. Crystal happened to be on a video project when she stopped at a park on Hana highway and saw a tame pregnant cat crying to her for help in a parking lot. She than recognized that across the street was a litter of wild kittens with their eyes infected. Crystal knew immediately she had to do something because nobody else was helping them and no one else in the area had the means to do so.
 
She scooped up the pregnant cat and returned the next morning to rescue the entire litter of sick, starving kittens, leaving food for the other homeless cats. She started rescuing these cats out of the parks and getting them spayed and neutered with her own money and soon realized these cats were not safe from being trapped and euthanized.

Crystal knew she had to speak up for these voiceless animals in order to save them. This is when she became Ms. Hawaii 1997 to represent the state in the Ms. Continental pageant, this was not a swimsuit type of pageant. This was for women who were recognized by their service and dedication to the Island. That’s the only reason she entered so that she could change the way Maui was trapping and killing cats. 
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By having this title, she was able to convince people in power to listen to a more humane approach, which is known as TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return)
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Maui News wrote a story on Crystal on the Sunday paper, this helped to change the way people think by educating people in the importance for Spay Neuter and allowing the cats to live.

She was a huge part in implementing the feral cat program. We at HFAM don’t like to use this word because it’s so often misunderstood. Crystal and our Team like to refer to these homeless cats as simply that "homeless Cats". With our team, "Feral" simply means "without human contact". Many of these cats are touchable lap cats that are just scared out of fear from the many dangers that can be associated with being without a loving, nurturing, and safe environment.
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Crystal Smith instituted the Maui Spay Neuter program which is now officially the Feral Cat Program. She implemented the Maui Spay Neuter program and started the very first No Kill Cat Sanctuary on Maui.
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