Thanks to the community’s generosity, The Garden Island/Zonta Christmas Fund will make a big difference in the life of Benton.
The 16-year-old has limited verbal skills. His autism causes him challenges with making friends and he has difficulty expressing himself. He often will act out and lose the few friends he has.
His handheld games and iPad bring him great happiness. He’s able to communicate better with the use of pictures/graphics. His mother is his only provider and she is limited herself.
Any help with warm clothes and a game or two would make Brenton so very happy.
Sunshine loves to sing and dance and has a collection of dresses that she wears every day. Sunshine lives with her daughter. Sunshine, while joyful, is suffering from dementia. She has very limited income and although her daughter works full time, they can afford only daily necessities.
Sunshine would be so grateful if she got a new dress to wear for the holidays.
The Garden Island/Zonta Christmas Fund is there for people like Benton and Sunshine. Families apply for assistance through social service agencies, which in turn connect with the Zonta Club of Kauai. It uses donations to buy gift certificates for those in need. The certificates can be used for gifts and groceries.
The Garden Island newspaper shares daily stories about those who could use assistance this holiday season. While the names are not real, the situations described are.
Donations of $100 or more will be matched by the Hale Uluwehi Kauai Fund’s offer up to $10,000, which means your gift to help those with little is doubled.
There are no administrators collecting salaries. This program is run by volunteers.
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 822-4517.
Some upcoming fundraisers for the Christmas Fund include:
w The Ocean Course at Hokuala is offering a chance for ladies to learn about golf while contributing to a holiday program to help those in need.
Kellie Hines, PGA golf professional at the Ocean Course at Hokuala, will be holding a workshop on golf basics from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 17.
Cost is $20. To register, call 241-6000.
