Taking It To The Streets
That’s what celebrity newspaper sellers will be doing May 4, with a portion of Keiki Day sales of the Star-Advertiser benefitting Parents and Children Together programs for at-risk youths
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had a great contest this year. It was a fashion show that had to do with recycling. So they made suits out of tin cans and a whole dress out of reusable tin foil that some of the kids saved in their house, and it was really quite cute.”
PACT is supported by county, state and federal funding as well as by private donations.
“The teen program was hit hardest,” says Quitiquit. “It’s an after-school program to get kids off the street, get them out of gangs and try to teach them to not get pregnant and all of the things that go along with that. We don’t know what we’re going to do because our Halawa program was wiped out.”
Quitiquit notes that Keiki Day tends to be more a field for great PR than big numbers in the bank - PACT raised $60,000 last year - but she’s hoping dividends will take them closer to their goal for this year: $100,000.
“In this economy, the nonprofits are really having a tough time,” explains Keiki Day honorary co-chairwoman Linda Wong. “When PACT asked Danny Kaleikini and me to get involved - it’s easy to sit on the sidelines but when you look around and there’s so many people that need help, you have to get involved.”
Kaleikini adds: “It’s not easy to have people who care. I know what it is not to have a parent. I had the privilege of speaking to a group of young people in Wahiawa, they had a father, no mother; a mother no father. Because the young people are the stars of tomorrow, we must kokua - we must support them and give them guidance.”
Wong and Kaleikini, veteran supporters of local charities, say they were especially impressed to discover that all of the funds stay in Hawaii and 87 percent goes directly to PACT programs. The rest covers administrative costs.
PACT’s Keiki Day is a program where everybody wins. As Wong explains, “Donations provide newspapers to the schools of your choice and it’s a great educational tool. Kids learn how to use a newspaper and there’s all kinds of interactive activities for the teachers, parents and kids.”
It’s the community interaction and a passion for supporting Hawaii’s keiki that’s encouraged Farmers Insurance to remain one of PACT’s most avid supporters for 11 years now.
“For Farmers Insurance, it’s always been important for us to give back to the community,” says president Michele Saito. “Ohana is really important in our company, and keeping our keiki safe. PACT resonates with our people and, as Ruthann says, we enjoy going out to Keiki Day and having fun little contests to see who can collect more money.
“We’re trying to get our employees more involved, to get out and get to know what these organizations are doing for the community. Keiki Day is one of those opportunities and we have a nice turnout - I think 30-plus last year.
“PACT is a great organization because they’re trying to make the ohana stronger. The keiki are our future, so the more time we can invest in them and nurture them, it’s good for all of us.”
Saito says she gets hit up by so many enthusiastic Keiki Day paper vendors that by the end of the day, she walks in her door with a whole stack.
“By the time I hit the deck, I got a lot of papers!” she says with a laugh, “but how can you turn it down?”
For more information or to get involved, call 847-3285 or visit pactkeikiday.org.
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