Grace has little. The community has a chance to show her there are many who care for her. The 77-year-old lives in an extension of her daughter’s home. She suffered a stroke a few years back that affected her memory
Grace has little. The community has a chance to show her there are many who care for her.
The 77-year-old lives in an extension of her daughter’s home. She suffered a stroke a few years back that affected her memory and requires her children to handle her finances and medical appointments.
Both her children work full time and try to visit their mom during the week to get household chores and other things done around the apartment. Her fixed monthly income barely pays the bills. Grace, at one point, went without electricity when living alone because she forgot to pay the bill.
Another kupuna, Mr. Jeffrey lives alone. He enjoys a simple lifestyle. He has health and vision challenges that keep him homebound. His siblings help him with his needs and medical appointments. He likes to keep busy by pulling weeds in his yard. He is happiest sitting outside and talking story with neighbors.
His holiday would be made more special with any gift he might receive.
The Garden Island/Zonta Christmas Fund was established in the early 1980s to help people like these during the holidays. Donations to the Christmas Fund are distributed by Zonta Club members, who purchase gift certificates at local stores to make wishes come true.
Each donated dollar is accounted for and carefully recorded. There are no administrators collecting salaries. Volunteers run the show.
If you hold a fundraiser for the Christmas Fund or know of one, let us know and we’ll spread the word. Anyone making a donation of $50 or more may have their picture presenting the check to Zonta published in TGI.
Only monetary donations are accepted. Checks payable to Zonta Club of Kauai Foundation can be mailed to P.O. Box 3032, Lihue, HI 96766. For more information, call Dimples Kano at 822-4517.
Real names are not used in these stories, but the situations described are real.
Others needing help this year:
w Joe Sams is a 73-year-old who has been separated from his wife of 25 years due to illness. Mrs. Sams is in long-term care and Joe does his best to get by on his own. Although he visits with his wife as often as he can, he gets lonely. Living on one income also makes it has to make ends meet. A gift card for some groceries would surely help to brighten Joe’s holidays.
w Susan is an 83-year-old living alone in a home that has seen better days. Susan has very little family to assist her with her daily needs and does the best she can on her own. She was pretty independent until a recent fall. Medical bills, along with daily living expenses have made her limited income seem even smaller. Help with buying groceries and a few extra items would make for a merrier holiday season.
