PUA LOKE — Seven community organizations, including host Kealaula housing project, shared the surplus of the Zonta Christmas Fund, Wednesday at the gardens fronting the Spark Matsunaga Peace monument at the Kealaula project, administered by Women in Need.
PUA LOKE — Seven community organizations, including host Kealaula housing project, shared the surplus of the Zonta Christmas Fund, Wednesday at the gardens fronting the Spark Matsunaga Peace monument at the Kealaula project, administered by Women in Need.
“The Christmas Fund was overly successful,” said Cyndi Ayonon, chair of the 2020 Christmas Fund. “The response was overwhelming, and it was very humbling to know how generous people are.”
Donations poured into the Fund even after the distributions to the organizations had been done, and the surplus was shared by the Department of Health, Kaua‘i Economic Opportunity, Catholic Charities, ‘Ohana Pacific Health, Friendship House, the YWCA of Kaua‘i, and the Kealaula project administered by Women in Need.
In addition to the Fund checks, Ayonon selected Kealaula as the point of distribution because the facility that opened in late 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, could use the services being provided by the benefactor agencies and groups. The distribution served as the reason for getting the organizations familiar with the property that is fully occupied with a population of 67 people who are currently employed.
“We need to work together,” Ayonon said. “We all do things that can help each other out so this is a nice way to get to know Kealaula.”
Ayonon said chairing the Christmas Fund was a humbling experience and hopes the Fund will continue.
“I’m just so thankful,” Ayonon said. “Kaua‘i is such a special place. We couldn’t have done it without The Garden Island Newspaper that publicized the people’s stories, and the people — they were not all Kaua‘i residents, but people from the mainland who missed not being here and sent us their vacation funds.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
