Lee is a single mom who came to the shelter because of ongoing verbal and emotional abuse by her husband. She filed for divorce and also was later granted a restraining order due to his threatening text, phone calls and
Lee is a single mom who came to the shelter because of ongoing verbal and emotional abuse by her husband. She filed for divorce and also was later granted a restraining order due to his threatening text, phone calls and he showed up at her work.
Lee works two jobs, over 50 hours a week and is disciplined and honorable. She is always giving and caring no matter how discouraged she gets about her housing situation. Due to her income, she does not qualify for assistance so paying her bills is challenging.
Her hope is to rent a place that will accommodate herself and her two children, a 13-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter. They have been living with their dad but after finding him using drugs, they asked to live at the shelter with their mom.
Her son is interested in anything to do with skateboarding and music. Her daughter is trying to save money for her own phone and also loves music.
Lee is just one of the 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.
The Garden Island/Zonta Christmas Fund was established in the early 1980s.
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, 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.
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 further 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 Ashton has a beautiful child he loves dearly and has turned his life around. He is living in a safe place and has a part-time job. He has been clean and sober for nearly two years. “I would love to be able to buy some new clothing and shoes for myself. I am going to continue to be a great dad and be a good example,” he said.
w Denise is a single mom who came to the shelter due to a frightening experience with her abusive boyfriend. She had tried to leave him before but was not able to raise her two daughters on her own. She has continued to work and hopes to return to Kauai Community College. Her two daughters are her number one priority and she spends as much time as she can with them. Her daughters would like art supplies and toys.
