LIHUE — Through Christmas Eve, The Garden Island will share daily, front-page stories about families and individuals (we don’t use their real names), who are facing challenges and would appreciate a little help this holiday season.
The Christmas Fund is an avenue for everyone to provide that assistance. Donations are used by Zonta Club members to purchase gift certificates that are in turn distributed to families and individuals through social-service agencies.
The following are some stories we would like to share with our readers.
• Grandmother is raising her two grandchildren, a 9-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl. Mother is incarcerated and grandmother only has HUD and Social Security to live on. Grandmother is trying her best to provide for the children and is very involved with several non-profits who assist with services such as counseling. Family could use clothes so that children have things to wear to school and for grandmother to go to church.
• Tammy lives with her disabled adult son Bobby. Bobby is developmentally disabled. Both live on fixed incomes. Tammy uses a motorized scooter to get around as she has mobility issues. Tammy needs a new seat cushion for her scooter and Bobby would like some new garden tools.
• Patty is a single mother of five children. Patty is a victim of domestic violence and is now raising her children on her own. Patty can’t work right now as she is taking care of her youngest who is 6 months old. Patty has a 9-year-old daughter Kate, twins named Peter and Rose, a son Jared and the baby Lilly.
• Mark is a single father currently caring for two children. His son Keanu just started high school and his daughter Kai is in middle school. They have been stably housed for a couple of years after living on the beach. Mark recently got a full-time job that he really enjoys. The family like to visit the beach when they can.
• Peter is a veteran who suffers from PTSD. Peter lives on fixed income. Peter does not like to leave the house unless it is absolutely necessary and if he does so, he goes during “off” hours to avoid people.
Each donation is accounted for and recorded. There are no administrative costs involved, and money goes directly to provide for those in need of Christmas presents and groceries.
If you hold a fundraiser for the Christmas Fund, let us know and we’ll spread the word. Anyone making a donation of $200 or more can have their picture published in TGI.
Also, for every $250 donation given to the Christmas Fund, Hale Uluwehi Charitable Foundation will match up to $5,000.
Donations may be made by way of the website, Zonta-Kauai.org, or checks can be made payable to The Zonta Club of Kauai Foundation, P.O. Box 3032, Lihue, HI 96766.
