NUKOLI’I — An evening with U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye plus the Kaua’i Economic Development Board annual dinner meeting equals $55,000 for school supplies for the island’s needy students. That was the equation recently as more than 300 people gathered for
NUKOLI’I — An evening with U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye plus the Kaua’i Economic
Development Board annual dinner meeting equals $55,000 for school supplies for
the island’s needy students.
That was the equation recently as more than
300 people gathered for the joint functions at the Kaua’i Beach Resort
(formerly the Outrigger Kaua’i Beach) to raise funds for Inouye’s Ready to
Learn program.
The program provides school supplies to needy children
across the state.
The fundraiser was the most successful ever, said Gary
Baldwin. It will allow funds raised here to be used on Maui and the Big Island
as well as Kaua’i, he said.
All told, around $75,000 was raised for the
program, which for the current school year assisted 25,000 students
statewide.
The funds go into a community clearinghouse through Helping
Hands Hawai’i.
Retired teacher Jimmy Yamamoto purchases from local stores
supplies requested by teachers, then delivers them to the requesting schools,
Baldwin explained.
“We have no administrative costs in this project,
because everything’s volunteer,” excluding the cost of the dinner, Baldwin
said.
Because this year’s fundraiser was so successful, the Association for
Retarded Citizens of Kaua’i (ARC of Kaua’i), and other programs, will also be
recipients of funds or supplies to meet some of their needs, he said.
The
success of the fundraiser will also allow KEDB to work with teachers to
identify other types of supplies they may need.
“It’s the best year we’ve
ever had fund-raising,” Baldwin said.
While the focus has been on helping
meet the needs of public school students in grades kindergarten through 12, the
KEDB will listen to the needs of any teachers.
“Anybody who’d like to talk
to us,” Baldwin said.
Teachers and others interested in more information
about getting supplies through the Ready to Learn program can call Pam Parker
at the KEDB, 245-6692.