Wishful Thinking Fall 2022

ON THE COVER

Eight-year-old Iris of Kapaa suffers from a digestive disorder and has found healing through dance. Thanks to the generous support of H.T. Hayashi Foundation, Iris’ wish to have a dance studio was granted!

Photo: Keith Usher

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Erik DeRyke – Board Chair

Jeff Higashi – Chair Elect

Scott Higashi – Secretary

Cayenne Pe‘a – Treasurer

Rachel Bradley

Tom Calame

Julianne Erickson

Rick Fried

Michelle Ho

Charles Hunter

Todd Iacovelli

Joe Medwetz

Brenda Mitchell

Darius Monsef

Katie Pickman

Jade Richardson

Mike Rompel

Keri Shepherd

Andrew Shimabukuro

Tiffany Vara

Aaron Yamasaki

Dr. Greg Yim

CONNECT WITH US

@MAKEAWISHHAWAII

Aloha Wish ‘Ohana,

Fall is upon us, and we have very exciting and important signature events coming up. Our annual golf tournament, Swing for Wishes, is taking place this month, and the season of giving is just around the corner! I want to thank you for your continued support and ask you to keep Hawaii’s children with critical illnesses in mind as you make your end-of-year giving plans.

I am so excited to share the news that our annual holiday fundraiser, Jingle Rock Run, is returning as a community walk/run after pivoting to a drive-through event over the last two years. Join us on December 4 at a new location: Ko Olina!

All year we have been celebrating Make-A-Wish Hawaii’s 40th anniversary, connecting with wish kids and alumni, their families, volunteers, supporters, and community members. Mahalo to each of you for helping Make-A-Wish Hawaii grant wishes for children with critical illnesses across our state over the last four decades. Your heartfelt support allows us to continue changing lives—providing strength, hope and joy to children and their families when they need it most. This issue includes a glimpse into the impact your support has made on keiki, including fulfilling Iokepa’s simple, life-changing wish to go home.

Mahalo for your continued support. We couldn’t grant wishes without you!

Much aloha, Trini Kaopuiki Clark President and CEO

Trini and Wish Kid Kameryn-Rylee at the 40th Anniversary Celebration on Maui

I wish to have a dance studio

8, Kapaa digestive disorder

Irisʼ Wish Granted!

I

ris is a bubbly, outgoing eight-yearold girl from Kauai who shines when she’s experiencing the joy of dancing. Seeing her twirl around her new studio and enthusiastically run from one nook to another, you would never know that three years ago, Iris couldn’t walk.

Diagnosed with a digestive disorder at the age of 2, Iris has struggled with her health since she was born. Her parents enrolled her in ballet class when she was 3 years old to work on physical therapy.

“It has been so good for her. It has completely changed everything of who she is,” says Stacey, Iris’ mom.

But it hasn’t been easy. Iris got so sick when she was 5 years old that she lost her ability to walk for more than 6 months. She went through extensive physical therapy, and Stacey says she is now stable, although every day is different, and she still struggles.

Her doctor referred Iris to Make-AWish Hawaii, and initially she wished to go to Walt Disney World®. Two days before her flight was scheduled to leave, the pandemic brought travel to a halt. Looking at what would bring her the most joy at home on Kauai, Iris reimagined her wish: she wanted a dance studio so she could pursue her passion and make TikTok videos!

Thanks to the generous support of H.T. Hayashi Foundation, and labor and materials donated from Unlimited Construction, Iris’ wish was granted.

“Make-A-Wish really helps spread the message of joy, compassion and love, and we feel like, especially in hard times, it’s extra important to make sure that those values are spread throughout the community,” says Jan Harada of H.T. Hayashi Foundation. “When you can bring some joy and inspiration to people who are struggling—kids—we feel it actually helps them heal, it helps them recover, and it helps their families, too.”

Knowing her wish was going to come true gave Iris strength. “In between doctor appointments, needle injections, blood draws, tube changes and bathroom breaks, knowing this space was being created for her has been something she’s been looking forward to,” Stacey says.

“I waited kind of a long time, and it was worth the wait. It’s so big and nice and clean—and I’m going to keep it clean,” Iris says.

After seeing her dance studio for the first time, Iris had one message for everyone who worked to make her wish come true: “Thank you so much. You’re going to change my life.”

“When you can bring some joy and inspiration to people who are struggling—kids—we feel it actually helps them heal, it helps them recover, and it helps their families, too.”

– JAN HARADA, H.T. HAYASHI FOUNDATION

LIFE-CHANGING WISHES

Iokepa’s Wish to go Home

Iokepa was a healthy and happy 15-year-old, but when he was hospitalized with COVID-19 in May 2021, his health quickly declined. Iokepa was diagnosed with sepsis, placed on a ventilator, and spent two months in an induced coma. Having to relearn how to eat and speak, he is still working to regain basic motor skills.

After living in the hospital for nearly one year, Iokepa’s most heartfelt wish was to go home. Iokepa is dependent on a ventilator and is wheelchairbound, so construction to make the home accessible was necessary to grant his wish. His wheelchair is too wide to fit through the home’s narrow hallways, so the family room was transformed into his new bedroom. Thanks to the generous support of H.T. Hayashi Foundation, Iokepa’s wish came true. The smile on Iokepa’s face when he took his motorized wheelchair on the ramp for the first time was priceless—Iokepa is finally home, where his health is improving every day.

Mahalo to H.T. Hayashi Foundation for adopting Iokepa's wish!

I wish to go home

Iokepa, 15, Waianae respiratory failure

Scan to Watch Chelten’s Wish

Chelten’s Wish to have a Batting Cage

Chelten is a sweet 10-year-old who was diagnosed with lymphoma when he was three years old. Despite several years of travel, tests, doctor appointments and medical treatments, Chelten remained active, positive, and dreamed of one day growing up to be a baseball player. He wished to have a batting cage and waited patiently through material and equipment shortages for his wish to be granted.

Thanks to the generous support of Par Hawaii, Chelten’s wish to have a batting cage came true! A team of community volunteers spent countless hours forming and pouring concrete, building the batting cage, setting up the pitching machine and helping to keep Chelten’s spirits high, even as he battled unexpected medical setbacks.

Chelten was thrilled when his wish came true. He spent the entire day in the batting cage, working on his form and looking forward to his future.

Mahalo to Par Hawaii for adopting Chelten's wish!

Enjoy a glimpse at some of the recent wishes granted thanks to your generous support!

I wish to have a batting cage

Chelten, 10, Hilo lymphoma

Dara’s Wish to have a Puppy

Dara is a shy and sweet 16-year-old with a nervous system disorder. She experiences seizures on a regular basis and was bullied at school because of her condition. Dara wished to have a puppy, a companion that would give her unconditional love. Dara was thrilled when her wish was granted! She named her puppy Boba, and recently completed a training program—an accomplishment she’s very proud of. Dara’s personality has shined since her wish was granted in July. She’s more outgoing and talkative, and her feeling of loneliness has been replaced with joy and confidence. Dara’s family says that what Boba has done for her is just amazing, and he has really given her a sense of responsibility, companionship, love and accomplishment.

I wish to have a puppy

Dara, 16, Hilo nervous system disorder

Mahalo to Show Aloha Challenge Foundation for adopting Dara's wish!

Jillian’s wish to go to Walt Disney World® and eat a Mickey glitter doughnut and meet Mickey Mouse

Jillian, age 10, was diagnosed with a blood vessel condition in 2014. Throughout the years of frightening medical tests, treatments and countless doctors’ visits, Jillian remained optimistic. Jillian knew without hesitation that she wished to go to Walt Disney World® to eat a Mickey glitter doughnut and meet Mickey Mouse. Thanks to Spinal Elements and surgeon partner Thomas Noh, M.D., Jillian’s wish came true!

“Jillian had the best time of her life,” says Jillian’s mom, Janelle. “The memories we had will be forever cherished. The experience made us even closer as a family.”

I wish to eat a Mickey glitter donut at Walt Disney World®

Jillian, 10, Honolulu blood vessel condition

Mahalo to Spinal Elements for adopting Jillian's wish!

Kauai KUKUI GROVE CENTER

Honoring 40 Years of Wishes!

Mahalo for celebrating Make-A-Wish Hawaii’s 40th anniversary! Throughout August, we connected with wish kids, families, volunteers and supporters across the state in honor of 40 years of granting life-changing wishes for local children with critical illnesses. Each event was special and unique, with a common theme of celebrating this significant milestone.

We capped off these exciting events at the Honolulu Zoo with a surprise wish reveal for 5-year-old Luke of Honolulu, who was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 2 years old. During the event, Luke received the wonderful news that his wish to go to Walt Disney World® is coming true! Mahalo to all who celebrated with us, and to D.R. Horton and Schuler Family Foundation for making Luke’s wish come true!

A special mahalo to presenting sponsor Domino’s Hawaii for their continued support of Make-A-Wish Hawaii and the statewide anniversary events!

Welcome, New Leaders!

We are pleased to welcome Aaron Yamasaki to our board of directors! As part of our 22-person volunteer board, Aaron joins other leaders who guide us in fundraising and community awareness efforts to support our vision. We are also pleased to welcome five additional local community leaders to our Young Leaders Board. We are deeply grateful for our entire leadership team and the work they do to guide our organization forward and transform the lives of wish kids across our state.

Aaron Yamasaki

Division Manager

Swinerton Hawaii

I wish to go to Europe on vacation with my wife

As a member of the wish granting committee, Aaron utilized his construction background to help grant wishes, including Chelten’s wish to have a batting cage. He became involved with Make-A-Wish Hawaii when a friend asked him to assist with construction for a local wish.

“I learned about the impacts that Covid had on travel wishes, and how wishes became more focused on transforming areas of wish kids’ homes. I felt that my background and network could bring value to Make-A-Wish Hawaii in helping grant future wishes,” Aaron says.

“After seeing what goes into granting wishes, I definitely have a newfound appreciation for the coordination and effort involved with pulling each and every wish together.”

-AARON YAMASAKI, SWINERTOWN HAWAII

Aaron says he’s looking forward to collaborating with a great group of people who all want to make a difference in kids’ lives by bringing them joy.

YOUNG LEADERS BOARD

Christopher Fong

Senior Associate, Tradewind Capital Group

Mark Leong Wealth Management Advisor, Northwestern Mutual

Jade Lun

Senior Art Director, Guaranteed Rate Mortgages

Courtney Matsuki

Operations Director & Lead Project Manager, Library Creative Matthew McKeever

Commercial Broker, Colliers Hawaii

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST STAFF MEMBERS

Behind each wish is a dedicated team who work with heart and passion for our mission. Get to know some of the newest members of our Make-A-Wish Hawaii ‘ohana who have recently joined our staff.

JACQUELINE NGUYEN

Wish Assist Coordinator

I wish to go to all the Disney parks with my family

Jacqueline has always enjoyed working with children. Most recently she was a preschool teacher and every day was a new experience. “Seeing the impact I had on the kids’ lives was rewarding, and I loved interacting and forming bonds with the families,” Jacqueline says.

Jacqueline interned in Make-A-Wish Hawaii’s Wish Assist department in 2019 and is a Wish Granter. She knew she wanted her career to inspire and help children and their families while giving back to the community. Jacqueline is looking forward to continuing to learn and apply her strengths to help grant wishes.

Fun fact: Jacqueline has read almost 1,000 books since she was a teenager!

KAREN GIONSON-COLOMA

Wish Assist Coordinator

I wish to go to Machu Picchu

Karen was drawn to Make-A-Wish Hawaii for its mission to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. She’s excited to bring hope and joy to keiki through the power of a wish and hopes to grant unique wishes that have never been done before.

Fun facts: Karen loves martial arts, BTS, and movies that represent women as strong characters.

SHAN HILO Wish Assist Program

Services Assistant

I wish to open a convalescent home for coma patients

Shan is one of Make-A-Wish Hawaii’s most dedicated volunteer Wish Granters and Wish Ambassadors. Since becoming involved in December 2020, Shan has granted five wishes for children on Maui and is currently a wish granter for four others who are waiting for their wishes to come true. She has also served as a Wish Ambassador for 182 children whose wishes were to go to Hawaii!

When an opportunity to join the staff arose, it was a natural fit for Shan, who values being part of a workplace that loves keiki and their ‘ohana. Shan enjoys bringing smiles to wish kids’ faces, whether they are local wish kids or visiting Hawaii from other chapters.

Shan is looking forward to learning and growing in her new role with Make-A-Wish Hawaii.

Fun fact: Shan says she is a foster mom by choice and an adoptive mom by heart. She and her husband have adopted three keiki.

CLAIRE LINK

Annual Giving Manager

I wish to go to a koala sanctuary

Claire was inspired to join Make-AWish Hawaii by its mission and its reputation. She says that when she met the team, she was sold! “I very much wanted to work with such a dynamic, caring group of people,” she says.

Claire is looking forward to jumping into the great projects the development team has in the works and is excited to show appreciation to our dedicated donors.

Fun fact: Claire wanted to be a veterinarian, like her dad.

Ko Olina

Make-A-Wish Hawaii’s annual holiday fundraiser, Jingle Rock Run, is back!

This year’s community walk/run will be at a new location — Ko Olina — on Sunday, December 4. Save the date to join us as we celebrate the holiday season while giving the greatest gift to children with critical illnesses: the gift of hope.

Show your holiday spirit by dressing in festive attire and show your support by creating a team of friends and family. Enjoy live entertainment along the route and at the festival grounds as you take in the sunset view from Ko Olina. Give the gift of a wish come true this holiday season! Register at jinglerockrun.com

Festive Fun!

Get in the holiday spirit and share the power of a wish this holiday season!

Winners will be selected in the following categories:

• Top Fundraising Team

• Top Fundraising Individual

• Most Festive Costume

Hawaii Prince Golf Club Thursday, October 20

The Swing for Wishes golf tournament at Hawaii Prince Golf Club has grown to be one of our most important fundraisers, raising more than $1.4 million since its inception to transform the lives of Hawaii keiki with critical illnesses. Thanks to the ongoing partnership of Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa, this event has given wish kids the hope and strength needed to keep fighting when they need it most.

For updates and details, please visit swingforwishes.com.

Mahalo to presenting sponsor Dave & Buster’s and all of this year’s corporate sponsors!

SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, May 6, 2023

We invite you to join us for the in-person return of our annual gala, WISH! Into the Future, on Saturday, May 6 at the Sheraton Waikiki. After pivoting to a virtual gala for the last three years due to the pandemic, we are thrilled to bring people back together for our largest annual fundraiser.

WISH! has been a staple of Make-A-Wish Hawaii since 2012, and the funds raised through this event have made hundreds of life-changing wishes possible for local children with critical illnesses.

For sponsorship inquiries or to learn more about these events, visit hawaii.wish.org or contact Arden Salassa, corporate relations manager, at asalassa@hawaii.wish.org.

Recent Campaigns

GRANTING WISHES, ONE SHAKA AT A TIME

The impact of Elijah’s wish to have a staycation at Aulani has lasted far beyond the time his family spent at the Disney resort in Ko Olina in 2018. Since then, his family has been deeply committed to volunteerism and fundraising through Make-A-Wish Hawaii’s signature events—and even their own campaigns.

Elijah’s sister, Kenzie, age 8, recently started a shaka-shaped line of colorful earrings and keychains and decided to donate $1 from the sale of each item to Make-A-Wish Hawaii. “There’s so many kids like my brother, Lij, that didn’t get to have wishes yet—and they have brothers and sisters like me,” Kenzie says. “When my brother has to go to the emergency room, it’s super hard on our whole family. ... I want other kids to be able to have their wishes come true, too, with their families not worrying about having enough money.”

Kenzie donated $200 to Make-A-Wish Hawaii earlier this year and is planning to donate another $200 once her current inventory sells out. If you’d like to support Kenzie’s fundraiser, please contact her mom, Leah, on Instagram at @HugsforLij or at (808) 352-6363.

Mahalo for your compassion and commitment to making wishes come true, Kenzie!

Show Aloha Challenge Foundation

After donating $100,000 to Make-A-Wish Hawaii, Mike Gangloff of Show Aloha Challenge Foundation receives special mahalo plaques showcasing all of the wishes he helped grant in 2022!

Visit Show Aloha Land this holiday season and enjoy the dazzling display of more than 1 million LED lights choreographed to holiday music at Aloha Stadium. For more information, visit showalohachallenge.com.

Jams World

We love Jams World’s limited-edition Bay Leaf collection—and not only because it’s a cool new art print in a blue hue. Jams World is generously donating 20% of the proceeds from this collection to Make-A-Wish Hawaii. “The Bay Leaf is known to have medicinal properties, and wishes are just good medicine,” says Heather Rochlen, Jams World vice president. “When viewing our artwork for this season, the Bay Leaf artwork felt like the perfect fit for our Make-A-Wish collection.” The collection includes styles for men and women, including accesories, so shop online or in stores before it sells out!

To date, Jams World has donated more than $40,000 to Make-A-Wish Hawaii through its Shop for a Cause program. Each new collection has a unique print and provides a meaningful way to shop the latest styles while supporting Make-A-Wish Hawaii. Jams World has a longstanding commitment to our organization and the children we serve, making corporate donations, in-kind gifts and experiences that elevate wishes. For more information, visit jamsworld.com.

SHOP CAUSE for a

BAY LEAF COLLECTION

Giving Tuesday

Mark your calendar for Giving Tuesday, a global movement of generosity! Help us share the power of a wish with local keiki on November 29.

Donate at hawaii.wish.org.

Wishes in Flight

Hawaiian Airlines is a valued partner of Make-A-Wish Hawaii. In honor of Giving Tuesday, we encourage you to donate HawaiianMiles to help make wishes come true. Once donated, your miles won’t expire, and they’ll help wishes take flight for children in Hawaii fighting critical illnesses. Donate your miles at hawaii.wish.org/airline-miles

Subaru Share the Love

Be the driving force behind a wish come true this holiday season! During Subaru Hawai‘i’s Share the Love sales event, for every new Subaru vehicle purchased in Hawaii between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, 2022, Subaru Hawai‘i will donate $250 to their Share the Love nonprofit partners— including Make-A-Wish Hawaii! For more information, visit subaruhawaii.com.

A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS OF THIS COLLECTION BENEFITS THE MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF HAWAII AND ITS MISSION OF GRANTING LIFE-CHANGING WISHES FOR CHILDREN WITH CRITICAL ILLNESSES BECAUSE WISHES ARE JUST GOOD MEDICINE.

Wish kid Margaret finds peace in “taro-py” alongside Make-A-Wish Hawaii staff

For 20-year-old wish kid Margaret, life is all about being present. An old soul with an appreciation for art, culture, and beauty, she feels all the moments of her life deeply—from those that enriched her as a theater student and aspiring artist before her diagnosis to those that challenged her as a teenagerturned-cancer patient.

This spring, after nearly three years of chemotherapy, surgeries, and seemingly endless time spent in the confines of a hospital bed fighting lymphoma, Margaret found herself in a different sort of moment. Instead, she sat on the bank of a taro patch on Oahu’s north shore, taking a short break from pulling weeds from the lo‘i behind her, learning about Hawaii’s agriculture. She felt comforted, painless, and at peace.

Margaret’s wish to visit Hawaii responsibly and respectfully had led to this moment, one part of a meaningful day spent at Nā Mea Kūpono Learning Center, a six-acre educational wetland taro patch in Waialua.

Nā Mea Kūpono board member and secretary Felicita Garrido, known affectionately as Aunty Ku‘uipo, welcomed Margaret, her family, and numerous Make-A-Wish Hawaii staff to the farm to mālama ‘āina. Together, everyone enjoyed an ahupua‘a lesson, worked the lo‘i, rinsed off in the punawai, and played Hawaiian games.

“Life is all about helping others and connecting to them. We utilized the natural environment to do just that,” explains Aunty Ku‘uipo. “Something magical happens when you step into the lo‘i. We call it ‘taro-py.’”

This ‘taro-py’ came not long after Margaret had rung the bell signifying her last cancer treatment. Her wish came at the perfect time, giving Margaret the opportunity to make memories with her family after a long and difficult journey.

“To see such a beautiful place and learn about the culture with such a rich history not only cheered me up but inspired me again,” she says.

Now, back home in Illinois, Margaret is navigating her newly cancer-free life with hope and excitement. She is applying to college where she plans to study theater arts, she is discovering new artforms like painting and crocheting, and she can often be found reading about Hawaiian

WISH ASSIST

Par Hawaii

PAR HAWAII GIVES ENERGY TO LOCAL WISHES

When 17-year-old Big Island wish kid Kaikua first saw his refurbished Toyota Tacoma pull up in front of him last year, he was speechless. With its fresh coat of paint, brand new tires, and innovative sound system, the Tacoma was a far cry from its former self: a well-loved family vehicle with 180,000 miles, fading paint, and a list of costly fixes waiting to be made. Kaikua’s wish gave him a renewed sense of hope, strength, and freedom amid his fight with a critical kidney disease—and it was all made possible by the generosity of longtime wish partner Par Hawaii.

“Supporting organizations such as MakeA-Wish Hawaii empowers individuals and families,” says Marc Inouye, director of government and public affairs for Par Hawaii. “We believe [a wish] can be a positive, lasting, life-changing experience, which is one of the greatest gifts we can offer them.”

Granting wishes requires energy and imagination, two key components of Par Hawaii’s business model. As the leading supplier of transportation fuels in Hawaii, Par Hawaii is responsible for producing essential refined energy products for Hawaii’s families and businesses. The company is also exploring renewable energy sources to meet Hawaii’s goal of eliminating the use of fossil fuels within the next 20 years.

Par Hawaii is continually looking toward the future—not only in finding innovative ways to bring energy to Hawaii, but in identifying new opportunities to help local families like Kaikua’s. Since 2016, the company has transformed lives primarily through its sponsorship of the annual Jingle Rock Run holiday walk,

The team was so inspired that they also recently went on to grant 9-year-old Hilo wish kid Chelton’s wish to have his own batting cage and baseball gear. “We could see this was his passion; this is what gave him energy…we knew [granting his wish] was the right thing to do,” says Marc.

Having already donated over $50,000

- MARK INOUYE, PAR HAWAII

reimagined into Jingle Rock Ride during the pandemic. Last year, however, Par Hawaii was inspired to expand its giving and grant Kaikua’s wish directly.

“We were immediately drawn to his story and wish,” explains Marc. “What caught our attention was that despite his own health condition, he was selfless and put others first.”

Witnessing the direct impact of their gift was a “chicken-skin” moment for the entire team at Par Hawaii, who call their partnership with Make-A-Wish Hawaii a “no-brainer.”

through event sponsorships and in granting wishes for keiki like Kaikua and Chelton over the past several years, Par Hawaii hopes to continue giving back to the community through its partnerships with Make-A-Wish Hawaii and other local nonprofits for years to come.

“We know that supporting the community is a way we can support our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and business colleagues. We’re all connected in some way,” says Marc. “We also recognize that giving is a way of sharing aloha. It is what makes Hawaii unique.”

“We know that supporting the community is a way we can support our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and business colleagues."