Make-A-Wish^® Hawaii

Donor Spotlight: Zilber Family Foundation

A longtime supporter of Make-A-Wish Hawaii, the Zilber Family Foundation is a valued donor with an unwavering commitment to changing the lives of wish kids. This year, we were humbled by and grateful for the Foundation’s swift and generous response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which played a critical role in our ability to continue fulfilling our mission. The Foundation expedited its support and allowed us to reallocate funds where they were needed most. Soon after, they also sponsored our annual gala, WISH! A Virtual Celebration of Hope, matching an incredible $30,000 of community donations. In addition to providing essential financial support, the Zilber Family Foundation offered grantees like us the opportunity to partake in a series of complimentary risk management webinars that provided useful resources and guidance during the pandemic.  

In reflecting on the far-reaching impact of their partnership, we spoke with the Zilber Family Foundation to learn more about what inspires the organization to make wishes come true.

1. What inspired founders Joseph and Vera to start the Foundation and want to give back, and how has the Foundation fulfilled its mission since then?

Founded in 1961 by Joseph Zilber, an entrepreneur, real estate developer and philanthropist, the Zilber Family Foundation works to enhance the well-being of individuals, families, and neighborhoods. Grants support nonprofits to address basic needs, ensure personal safety, increase access to social and economic opportunity, and improve the quality of life in neighborhoods. Joe and his wife Vera both believed in giving back to the communities where they lived, worked and raised their family. They believed in providing opportunities for families to live full, healthy and productive lives. Today, the Foundation continues to uphold the vision and values of our founders by working in partnership with nonprofit organizations that improve quality of life for their clients, neighbors and communities.

2. The Zilber Family Foundation has been supporting Make-A-Wish Hawaii with generous gifts for the past eight years. How did the Foundation first get involved with Make-A-Wish Hawaii, and why is it important to the Foundation to help make wishes come true?

Several members of the Zilber Family Foundation's board of directors live, work and raise their families in Hawaii. One of our board members, Melissa Jackson, first got involved with Make-A-Wish Hawaii in 2014. Making wishes come true for young people provides them and their families with hope - a powerful medicine. Not only do wishes serve as much needed breaks from the difficult realities of illness, treatment, and doctors’ visits, they are proven to improve emotional and physical wellbeing. They create an opportunity for kids to dream and make their dreams come true.

3. How has the Zilber Family Foundation has supported Make-A-Wish Hawaii over the years?

The Zilber Family Foundation believes funder-grantee relationships are stronger when they are built on the foundation of trust. We build relationships with leaders and organizations and ask them what they need to be successful. Oftentimes, the answer is flexible funding to cover the full cost of programming. Nonprofits need to hire qualified staff, rent office space, purchase supplies, and invest in technology the same way any for profit business would. We feel strongly that covering those costs is just as important as supporting program expenses. Over our many years of involvement, members of our board have also volunteered to help grant wishes and attended Make-A-Wish events.

4. What are the most memorable or rewarding aspects of the Foundation’s support and partnership with Make-A-Wish Hawaii?

Seeing a child’s face and their families’ faces when a wish is granted is simply the best. They are always so full of joy and hope. We love to participate in granting wishes that require help with building or construction of any sort. Watching wishes happen is magical.

5. How did COVID-19 impact the Zilber Family Foundation and its charitable giving?

The pandemic has required all of us to show up differently in our professional and personal lives. At the Foundation, we had to redefine our decision-making processes, standard grantmaking procedures, resource allocation, communication channels, and physical location, to name a few. Just like our nonprofit partners on the ground, we are learning in real time how to bring our organization forward during a time of incredible uncertainty.

What hasn’t changed is our mission, our focus on creating greater access to social and economic opportunity, and our commitment to working in partnership with our grantees. In early March 2020, the Foundation worked with our current grantees to advance grant payments to organizations facing cash flow challenges and suspended grant reporting.

Our board of directors also allocated an additional $3 million in grant funds to COVID relief efforts to support the immediate needs of our community. These grants allowed some of our current grantees to purchase PPE, technology for remote work, and other operating expenses. They also supported emergency response efforts for food, shelter, and medical care, and supported rent assistance and small business development.

6. Why was it important to the Foundation to expedite its support of Make-A-Wish Hawaii this year?

More than ever kids and families need something to look forward to. During a time of such uncertainty, disruption, and illness, we believe Make-A-Wish can provide some joy and hope for those most in need.

7. How does it feel as a team to know you’ve made such a difference in changing the lives of Hawaii children fighting critical illnesses?

It's hard to beat the feeling you get when you see a child light up a room, their illness fading away to the background, when a Wish is granted. Everybody deserves the chance to feel hopeful, and that's what Wishes do. It is a pleasure to learn, work beside and make wishes come true for these deserving children with the entire team at Make-A-Wish Hawaii. No matter the wish, the team never stops until it’s complete. Also, they keep in touch with the families long after the wishes are granted, so every child and their family becomes part of the Wish ‘ohana.