Emily was given up for adoption by her parents when she was young. Her twin sister and older sister stayed with their biological family. Finding out the truth about her birth and adoption circumstances was very hard on her. She
Emily was given up for adoption by her parents when she was young. Her twin sister and older sister stayed with their biological family. Finding out the truth about her birth and adoption circumstances was very hard on her.
She has always been grateful to her adoptive family. Having struggled much in school in the past due to bullying, Emily withdrew from high school and began working on her Life Skills certificate. She was unable to complete all the modules due to attendance issues but she hasn’t let it stop her from finishing the program.
She recently returned to finish up despite the new challenge of morning sickness from her pregnancy. She has shown determination to do what she needs to do to get her certificate so she can make her family proud and go on to college one day.
Emily is one of many people The Garden Island/Zonta Christmas Fund hopes to help during the holidays. Donations to the Christmas Fund will be 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.
The Garden Island/Zonta Christmas Fund was established in the early 1980s and has helped thousands of families.
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.
The following are stories of just a few of the people who could use our help. While their names have been changed, the situations described are real.
w Isaiah is an 18-year-old Native Hawaiian who lives on his own due to a lack of support from his family. As you can imagine, this presents a very difficult situation for Isaiah. He has had to figure things out for himself and often feels discouraged. Currently, Isaiah is living at a friend’s house while he tries to finish high school. After high school, Isaiah wants to get a job so that he can support himself. For Christmas this year, Isaiah would really like to get new clothing that he can wear for job interviews.
w Tori is a 10-year-old female who lives with her mom and grandfather on Kauai. About a year ago, Tori’s father died in a work-related accident. This was extremely hard for Tori not only because of how much she loved her father but also because he was the sole source of financial support for her family. This has made the last year especially difficult for Tori and her mom. This Christmas will be the first without her dad. To help make this a bright season for Tori, she would be grateful for new books, clothing and toys to play with.
