Maui Ornament Fundraiser Benefits 3 Island Keiki

Photo courtesy Maui Thing.

By Wendy Osher

Local retailer, Maui Thing, is hosting a holiday charity drive for three sick Maui keiki this holiday season.

The retailer created a unique window display with floating driftwood used as Christmas tree branches on display in the store window at the corner of Market and Main Streets in Wailuku.

The tree is decked with ornaments that are on sale for $5 each, with full proceeds going to A Keiki’s Dream – Sick Children Fund to directly help these children. As a thank you, customers will get a small surprise discount that can be used in the store.

Photo courtesy Maui Thing.

Children identified by the retailer as recipients of the fundraiser include:

• Jesse Henos, a one-year-old child with a heart condition, who has been at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego since October.
• Sina Sulunga-Kahaialii, an 11-year-old girl who is on home dialysis as she awaits a kidney transplant. She was also recently diagnosed with cardio myopathy.
• Maddyson Loope was born weighing 1.48 pounds and remains in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Kapiʻolani Medical Center. Her mother remains with her, while her father flies to Oʻahu on his days off.

“Between the big sales and rush to check off your Christmas lists, it is easy to forget about the sentimental aspect of the holidays… giving and sharing,” store representatives said.

“Their stories are a reminder of the importance of helping others during the holidays,” said retail manager Lesley Cummings.

The ornaments, like the keiki are, “each unique and each filled with lots of aloha.”

Photo courtesy Maui Thing.