For 10 years, Doug Beane has been sharing “The Aloha Spirit” with his shuttle service.
Friday, he shared his giving spirit with a $200 donation to The Garden Island/Zonta Club Christmas Fund.
Beane moved to Kauai about 25 years ago. He retired after working in sales with the Marriott, and launched his shuttle service in 2009.
He picks up people between 5 and 10 p.m. in Poipu and drops them off at local restaurants and shops. It’s a free service, his only reward being tips and thank yous.
“It’s kind of my way of giving back to the island,” Beane said.
He also offers, for a fee, services for wedding parties and sunset tours.
Beane came to TGI’s office Friday morning and wrote a check for the Christmas Fund.
“It’s the holiday time and a lot of people are in need,” he said. “If I can help out a little bit, I’m happy to do that.”
Later that day, Friday afternoon, a woman knocked on TGI’s door and handed off a $200 check for the Christmas Fund.
“I’m happy you guys are doing this,” said the woman, who wished to remain anonymous.
Continuing through Christmas Eve, The Garden Island shares daily, front-page stories about those (we don’t use their real names) facing challenges.
One of those people is Ben, a student at Kapaa Middle School. He is having a hard time in class because of things going on at home. He has a single mom who works many hours to care for her children and can’t always be there for them before and after school. Ben often takes on the duty of watching after his younger siblings. His wish for Christmas is a bike.
Another high school student, Sam, has gone back and forth between mom and dad, from one side of the island to the other. He struggles to make friends and is in an after-school program trying to catch up on his homework. Both parents have been troubled with substance abuse and being able to provide for their children. Sam needs furniture and bedding for his room at his mom’s house, where he has nothing of his own.
Donations to the Christmas Fund are used by Zonta Club members to bring holiday cheer to families and individuals through social-service agencies. In the nearly four decades this program has been going, it’s helped thousands of people, young and old.
Each donation is accounted for and recorded. There are no administrators collecting salaries. This is all carried out by dedicated volunteers.
Anyone making a donation of $50 or more can have their picture presenting the gift published in TGI.
A donor encouraged the community to donate by pledging to match any donations over $150 up to $5,000, and the community rose to that challenge and met that goal.
Donations may be made to: The Zonta Club of Kauai Foundation, P.O. Box, 3032, Lihue, 96766, or by way of their website: zonta-kauai.org.
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Bill Buley, editor-in-chief, can be reached at 245-0457 or bbuley@thegardenisland.com.
