For over a year now, 10-year-old Sophia Yu and her ‘ohana have been helping to malama the environment while also making wishes come true through their recycling and fundraising initiative, Recycle4Wishes. The program just made its first $1,200 donation to Make-A-Wish Hawaii (MAWH)!
Sophia started the initiative last year after learning a classmate of hers was fighting cancer and would be receiving a wish. With a desire to make a difference, Sophia approached her father, Dr. Jeffrey Yu, about making a donation in her friend’s honor to MAWH. Dr. Yu encouraged Sophia to think about ways to make a more lasting impact, which led to the idea for a recycling program benefiting MAWH.
Since then, Sophia and her co-CEO, 8-year-old sister Allison, have grown the project through word of mouth. Originally pulling a wagon full of recyclables from neighbors, the girls now have earned partnerships with local companies, performing regular recyclable pickups with their family. They’ve also created a website, recycle4wishes.com, where community members and companies can coordinate pickups or volunteer to assist with the initiative.
Sophia and Allison also planned to donate an additional $1,000 of prize money to MAWH after earning honorable mention in a business plan competition through Chaminade University.
Dr. Jeffrey Yu
