Imua Family Services and JAKKS Pacific bring the holiday spirit to Maui children

Imua Family Services held its very first Keiki Holiday Party back in 1950. At the time, the guest list included the families of Imua’s clients, who consisted primarily of children affected by the ongoing Polio pandemic.

While the non-profit’s services have grown and changed over the past 70 years to adapt to the ongoing needs of the community, Imua’s records show that at least one thing has remained the same: at their very first holiday party, the children received a surprise visit from Santa Claus bearing wrapped gifts for each and every one of them.

Imua Family Services has carried on this tradition for decades, and thanks to the support of JAKKS Pacific, Inc., the tradition will continue this year as well.

In the wake of the wildfires this past August, Imua Family Services made the decision to not burden the community with its usual toy drive, instead reaching out to their friends at JAKKS Pacific, Inc., who once again came through with a large donation consisting of thousands of toys.

The California-based company had previously provided Imua with enough toys and costumes to stock a pop-up toy store at the Maui Harbor Shops for those affected by the wildfires. That effort, which remained open through Halloween, provided toys in addition to more than 5,000 costumes for Maui County’s keiki.

The nearly 75-year tradition of the Imua Keiki Holiday Festival is important to families receiving services and participating in the many programs at Imua Family Services.

“Together, families find support, joy and celebration through the traditions of the holiday in a child-friendly and safe environment,” according to organizers.

Dean Wong, Executive Director at Imua Family Services said, “Many of the children currently receiving services in our programs were born and raised during the COVID pandemic. They’ve begun their lives facing isolation and a lack of connection during the most critical years of their development. Add to that the devastating catastrophe of the recent fires, loss of schools, preschools, childcare and kupuna – it’s a lot for these developing minds to deal with. The holiday season provides us with an ideal opportunity to bring back the joy and laughter.”

Wong expressed gratitude for the support received from dedicated partners saying, “None of this work would be possible without the generosity of businesses like JAKKS Pacific Inc., who stepped up to help Maui during a time of disaster and economic crisis and continues to provide much needed assistance.”

“We are honored to be able to provide support to the community of Maui as they recover from their recent wildfires,” says Stephen Berman, Chairman and CEO of JAKKS Pacific, “We understand that the road to recovery will be a long and difficult one. While we cannot imagine the loss that people are experiencing, we hope our partnership with Imua Family Services will bring some relief to Maui’s children and families.”

Imua Family Services and JAKKS Pacific, Inc. are united in their mission to help Maui’s children recover and rediscover their inner joy. Together, they are committed to nurturing resilience and healing through play.

Each year, Imua hosts their Keiki Holiday Festival for their families and clients. For the past three years, they have extended their festival to include a night for the broader Maui community. To learn more about that event, visit https://discoverimua.com/holiday.