Gift drive for young fire survivors seeks aid
Dec. 14—When Haleiwa resident Kanani Oury first conceived the idea of the "Makana no na Keiki " holiday benefiting kids who have survived the Maui wildfires, she vowed that every one of the hundreds of children preregistered for the culminating "family fun fair " this Saturday would get at least one gift.
When Haleiwa resident Kanani Oury first conceived the idea of the "Makana no na Keiki " holiday benefiting kids who have survived the Maui wildfires, she vowed that every one of the hundreds of children preregistered for the culminating "family fun fair " this Saturday would get at least one gift, and that she would "move mountains to make it happen."
Then registrations surged to 881 children. Oury and her team also decided to broaden the Saturday event at Maui Nui Botanical Gardens to welcome all keiki who have suffered loss in the Maui fires, plus their families, even if they were not among those who registered. Yet the organizers still pledge that every child age 17 and younger who attends will get at least one present of some kind.
However, one problem now is that only about 63 % of the 881 registered children's gift requests so far have been fulfilled. Add to that the unknown number of unregistered keiki who will attend Saturday, and the grassroots team is hustling down to these last days to find sponsors, or to purchase gifts with monetary donations, as well as to organize the elaborate event, which will be entirely free for attendees.
Organizers project around 1, 000 keiki attending Saturday, and with their families, between 2, 000 and 3, 000 guests in all.
"I've told people, 'If you were affected (by the fires ), come, and we will have something for your child, ' whether or not they were registered, " Oury said in a Honolulu Star-Advertiser interview, adding with a wry laugh : "I think that I might be the worst person in the world to run something like this—I have this incessant need within me to try to take care of everyone."
Most gift sponsors have been individual members of the public who purchased the presents directly on Amazon via gift registries that Oury created. The items were sent to a secure location to be wrapped, tagged and sorted for Saturday's event.
But now that it's too late to have Amazon orders arrive in time, organizers have shifted to old-fashioned networking, and using online monetary donations and gift cards to shop in person. Donations are still being taken at.
"I'm just praying and hoping that we have other donors that come in, " said Oury, who is co-owner of Stonefish Grill in Haleiwa, mother of three young children, and a veteran at organizing large events.
The 881 children were registered by their families on the website by the Oct. 31 deadline. Most requested the maximum three gifts allowed on their wish list, equating to roughly 2, 600 wishes for gifts ranging from basic necessities such as bedding and clothes, to dolls, bikes, jewelry and video game consoles.
As of Wednesday night, roughly 1, 600 wish-list gifts had been fulfilled, hundreds more gifts for unregistered keiki had been donated or bought, and 210 children had all their wishes met, Oury said. But 39 children still had not had even one wish granted. "I am going shopping tomorrow and all keiki will have at least one gift, I hope, " Oury said.
Asked about some high-priced items requested, Oury said she was initially surprised by them but gradually came to understand that "those items are needed for different reasons—a laptop for school, a camera to escape to another world while shooting, a musical instrument is the same way, (noise canceling ) headphones to provide a sense of security and quiet ... especially if they're in a shelter or somewhere of that nature. Tensions are high, stress is abundant and a safe place is far away. ...
"These are also items that the family may have worked hard to previously provide—imagine saving all year to provide a laptop for your child for school and then having it be gone in a matter of moments." "
Support is still arriving in myriad surprising ways, Oury said. She called the offers "magical."
For example, the Maui chapter of the Hawaii Bicycling League secured 70 donated bikes, and Young Brothers covered their shipping from Kauai, she said. One donor who read an earlier Star-Advertiser about the gift drive sponsored 100 gifts of up to $50 each, she said. Musical artist Ron Artis this week pledged to gift six keiki with guitars and will have them play onstage with him at a performance on Friday.
Oury said a former co-worker "let herself into my house and she's, like, 'Wake up, sunshine !' She had $500 in cash and said, 'I got this money for you from my church. Go shopping for a kid !'"
In-kind forms of support also have poured in, including storage space and staff from Maui Oil, which is also bringing a Christmas-themed truck convoy. Other companies and groups have sponsored tents and equipment ; and are running games and cookie decorating for the kids, and a lomi tent for the adults.
About 100 volunteers will serve lunch, clean up and more, Oury said. Ho 'omana Farms and the Fujinaga family are providing Hawaiian food. Some Oahu public-school cafeteria managers are flying over to help cook. And on and on.
"We're just going to try to make sure everybody has a really good time and they get to see familiar faces and say hi to their neighbors ... and get some presents and some wishes granted, " Oury said. "We want to make it so they have some new memories."
'MAKANA NO NA KEIKI' FAMILY FUN DAY Event for children and families directly affected by the Maui wildfires, culminating a grassroots, holiday gift drive :—Date : 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday—Location : Maui Nui Botanical Gardens, 150 Kanaloa Ave., Kahului—Events : Featuring a Christmas truck parade at 10 :30 a.m., Santa Claus at 11 a.m., lunch served from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., gifts, picture taking, keiki games and activities, lomi massage for adults, and entertainment—Cost : Everything will be free, including admission, food and gifts—Parking : War Memorial Stadium—Donation : To support the event go to
