🌺 The inspiration behind our work
Lucas Robert Banks was born on November 26, 2002, in Seattle, Washington, to Lisa Watt Banks and Michael Anthony Banks. When Lucas was just two years old, he and his parents traveled to Southern China, where he became the best big brother to Maile Eve Banks. Lucas is also blessed with a wide circle of family and friends who love and miss him deeply.
Lucas is a vibrant, free-spirited soul who radiates joy, compassion, and a profound love for both people and the natural world. He was known for his playful energy, infectious laughter, generosity, and adventurous heart. He loved goofing around, dancing, and living life to the fullest, always extending himself to help and support others in any way he could.
“You were and are the embodiment of a truly great person; someone who has the courage to be kind, and to lead with compassion, and continued to embody those values in everything you did.”
— Zac, childhood friend
Lucas had a special connection to Hawaiʻi—first visiting as a baby and later making it his home in 2021. The islands, with their ocean rhythms and deep spirit of aloha, became the backdrop to some of his most meaningful experiences. He fell in love with island life, the ocean, and the sense of community and simplicity it offered.
Lucas passed away on August 21, 2023, in a motorcycle accident on the North Shore of Oʻahu. His sudden passing sent shockwaves through all who knew and loved him. In the immediate days of grief, his mother, Lisa, felt the heavy ripples of loss moving outward as she shared the heartbreaking news. Yet, as time moved forward, those ripples began to shift—from grief to love, from sorrow to service.
Through building with Habitat for Humanity, planting trees, donating, and volunteering in Lucas’s honor, his family and friends began to transform their pain into purpose. These acts of kindness and contribution became a lifeline of healing—a way to stay connected to Lucas’s spirit and to continue the legacy he left behind: one of kindness, compassion, hard work, and a deep desire to make the world a better place.
In honor of what would have been Lucas’s 22nd birthday, loved ones came together for builds in both Maui and Washington, giving back to the communities Lucas held close to his heart. These experiences sparked something even greater—a vision for a living memorial that could offer healing and connection to others, too.
Meet Lisa
Our Founder
As a mother who has experienced the sudden loss of a son, I’ve had to walk a path I never imagined—one filled with heartbreak, soul-searching, and healing.
When I was told Lucas had been killed in a motorcycle accident, it felt like the world shattered beneath me. I screamed in disbelief, spinning out of control, completely disoriented and in shock. How could this be? I had just spoken to him. And yet, deep inside, somehow—I knew, even before I was told.
In that moment, an enormous void opened within me. The love I have for Lucas—so deep, so constant—suddenly had nowhere to go.
In the quiet after Lucas’s passing, in the deepest moments of grief, I found myself returning to the conversations Lucas and I had before his passing—conversations about life, meaning, and the importance of trusting the process.
"Trust the process," we used to say. But what does that mean for me now, in the wake of such profound loss?
Lucas’s passing forced me to reflect on everything I believed—everything I had taught my children and others about resilience, presence, and the power of connection and led me into a space of deep soul-searching. I had to learn to focus on what I could control, to give myself permission to feel everything fully—to honor the shock, the pain, the heartbreak—and then slowly, gently, begin to take steps forward which eventually allowed me to understand that healing can grow from grief if I allow myself to trust the process and trust my continued connection with Lucas.
To mark the first year of Lucas’s passing, I felt he guided me toward a project he knew would begin to heal my heart. With the support of our community we raised over $150,000 and were joined by twenty-six volunteers, close family and friends in Maui for four days to build with Habitat for Humanity Maui—and together, we planted a mango tree in his memory. That experience was profoundly meaningful. It wasn’t just about the support our family received in raising money, the tree or the work—it was about community, connection, and honoring Lucas’s kind and giving spirit in a way that gave something back to the world.
Since then, we’ve planted several more trees in his honor with Treecovery in Maui and continued building and planting with Habitat for Humanity in both Maui and Tacoma. Each act has helped to heal my heart and has been a powerful way to stay connected to my son’s spirit.
This journey has been one of returning to trust, to presence, and to the quiet strength that lives in all of us. It’s from this place that The Aloha Tree Project was born—a way to honor Lucas’s spirit and extend healing to others navigating grief, loss, and the long road of rebuilding—within and around us.
Lucas’s spirit showed me how deeply connected everything is—an experience I struggled to put into words until attending the Nature Informed Therapy training and The Sacred Path of Aloha with Kumu Ramsay Taum. These teachings gave language to what I had only felt: the profound interconnection between healing, nature, and spirit.
Through The Aloha Tree Project, I hope others will also find comfort, connection, and the quiet strength that comes from planting something new in the midst of sorrow.
A Note from Lisa
Lisa with son Lucas and daughter Maile
Lisa Watt Banks holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology with a certificate in Social Work specializing in Children and Family Services. With over 30 years of experience working with children, youth, and families—including training new social workers with the Children’s Administration—she brings deep compassion and expertise to her work. Over the pas ten years, Lisa has facilitated support groups for middle school youth, focusing on navigating big emotions in healthy ways and led Teen Mental Health First Aid sessions. She is also a certified 200-hour Vinyasa Flow Yoga instructor and holds a certificate in Nature-Informed Therapy and the Sacred Path of Aloha with Kumu Ramsay Taum.