Prior to the pandemic, fiscal year 2020 had been a year much like those previous in our wish world. We welcomed visiting families to our state and shared the aloha spirit. We granted travel wishes that sent our local keiki to Walt Disney World, to New York to see Hamilton, to American Samoa to visit family, and more. Read more about pre-pandemic wishes below, like Christhor’s wish to have a 16th birthday bash surrounded by family and friends, and Chazlyn’s wish to spend Christmas at Disneyland.
Once the pandemic hit, we halted wishes involving large crowds and travel for the safety of our wish keiki and their families. But we did not halt our mission. Instead, we focused on wishes that we could grant safely in Hawaii, wishes that could make a lasting impact here at home—like Carmello's wish for a therapy spa. Click below to read more, and watch how your support allowed us to make lemonade out of lemons and keep granting life-changing, innovative wishes.
Fireworks at Disneyland celebrate Chazlyn’s healing heart
Events are crucial to fulfilling our mission, allowing us to connect with our Hawaii community and raise vital funds to grant wishes. Much like the wishes we granted in fiscal year 2020, our events too saw a shift. Prior to the pandemic, we had hosted our 13th annual Swing for Wishes golf tournament, 7th Annual Jingle Rock Run, and 5th Annual Waffles for Wishes as usual.
After the pandemic, we searched for new ways to bring the community together and raise funds—and so our Stars at Home virtual talent show was born! This creative event raised three times its fundraising goal and provided the entire community with much-needed hope and levity. We carried that momentum shortly thereafter into our first virtual gala, WISH! A Virtual Celebration of Hope. Learn more about each of these events below, and mahalo for joining us this year as we made lemonade out of lemons and adapted to fundraising in exciting new ways thanks to your support.
Swing for Wishes
Thank you to our partners at Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa for hosting a successful 13th Annual Swing for Wishes golf tournament on October 3, 2019. One of the largest fundraising tournaments in the state, Swing for Wishes has raised over $1.2 million since its inception, drawing in hundreds of golfers each year. This year, thanks to the Hyatt and our generous sponsors and golfers, we raised an incredible $180,000 to make wishes come true! Mahalo to all who supported and joined us on the green for this fun tournament benefiting local wish families.
Jingle Rock Run
Thousands of participants, sponsors, volunteers, and vendors joined us at the 7th Annual Jingle Rock Run on December 15, 2019 to walk side-by-side with local wish families and share in the power of a wish during the holiday season. Presented by Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Commute with Enterprise, the event raised over $250,000 to make wishes come true thanks to generous sponsorships, participant fundraising, and fun new challenges. Participants enjoyed live entertainment, the signature Alaska Airlines Keiki Sprint, and keiki activities prior to the walk through downtown and Kaka’ako. Mahalo to all who supported Jingle Rock Run and rocked the wish!
A special mahalo to our leadership team for spearheading the first-ever Jingle Rock Run Board Challenge! The Board was divided into four teams, participating in regular check-in meetings and fundraising initiatives leading up to the event. Each team set different goals, whether dollars raised or additional community teams secured for the event.
Waffles for Wishes
Hosted on Leap Day, the 5th Annual Waffles for Wishes brunch took place at the beautiful Aloha Tower Marketplace waterfront. The event featured delicious bites from Hawaii’s top restaurants, fun carnival games, entertainment from Paula Fuga and DJ Jimmy Taco, and even a live wish reveal! Presented by our Young Leaders Board, this champagne-chic brunch raised over $60,000 to grant life-changing wishes for local wish kids. We would like to extend a heartfelt mahalo to our Young Leaders Board, sponsors, volunteers, vendors, and guests for making this event such a success. A special mahalo to our platinum sponsor, Dr. Thomas and Mi Kosasa, for their generosity.
Stars at Home:
A Virtual Talent Show
Unprecedented times call for unparalleled imagination. Together with presenting sponsors Domino’s Hawaii and Jersey Mike’s Subs Hawaii, we were proud to present our first-ever virtual talent show, Stars at Home last April. The stars in our community came together to show support for local waiting wish keiki by submitting short videos of their unique talents. With $5 gifts, the community voted for their favorite acts over the course of one week, giving virtual “high fives” to our waiting wish keiki whose wishes were postponed due to COVID-19. All donations up to $30,000 were matched by Domino’s Hawaii and Jersey Mike’s Subs Hawaii, helping us raise over $60,000 for local wish keiki! Mahalo to our sponsors, our talented community, and all who voted for their favorite acts! We’d also like to thank the local celebrities who supported the event through special guest submissions. Mahalo!
2020 Winners:
1. Aya Okimoto, piano, $3,995 raised
2. Ashley Nagaoka, balloon animals, $2,325 raised
3. Wish Kid Zach, parkour, $2,000 raised
WISH! A Virtual
Celebration of Hope
After making the difficult decision to cancel our in-person annual white gala, we instead got to work planning our first virtual gala: WISH! A Virtual Celebration of Hope. The event took place on June 11 and aired on Hawaii News Now’s K5, as well as livestreamed on all of their digital platforms and our social media channels. It truly was a celebration of hope, featuring messages of aloha from our community, the inspiring story of a Hilo wish child, and a moving performance from New Hope Oahu. Supporters statewide tuned in to the event, placed bids on our silent auction, and made gifts, helping us raise $565,000! Mahalo to our sponsors, especially Alaska Airlines, Nan Inc., and Schuler Family Foundation, for making this event possible, as well as to our honorees, wish kids, and virtual guests. And a special mahalo to The Zilber Family Foundation and our leadership community for triple matching all gifts up to $25,000 and helping us exceed our $100,000 Fund A Wish goal!
