ADVERTISER CHRISTMAS FUND
Father seeks job, kids' school supplies
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
Until he moved his family to Hawai'i this year from Micronesia so his 13-year-old daughter, stricken with spina bifida, could get medical care, "R.P." had never been unemployed.
He and his daughter arrived in May. They were joined in August by his wife and three other children; the youngest is 2. The family had stayed with friends but the house was not wheelchair accessible. In October, R.P. moved his family to a transitional shelter with accommodations for physical disabilities.
Helping Hands Hawai'i • Our anonymous Santa will match the first $25 of all contributions. • Donations to the Christmas Fund can also be dropped off at First Hawaiian Bank branches statewide. To donate canned food or household goods, call the Helping Hands Hawai'i Community Clearinghouse at 536-7234.
His daughter has returned to school, and R.P. has been searching for employment. The family needs furnishings and clothing, but R.P. wants something more important.
• Mail checks payable to The Advertiser Christmas Fund to:
P.O. Box 19155
Honolulu, HI 96817
"I'd like notebooks, pencils, books — school-related stuff — for my kids, because education, to me, is their future," R.P. said. "I tell them that every day. My kids try very hard and study every night. I want anything that will give them a chance to graduate from college someday.
"I use myself as an example," he added. "I graduated from high school here, but that's not enough if you want to get a good job."
R.P. cannot afford to buy school supplies for his daughters and 10-year-old son. "I want them to feel confident among their schoolmates and feel good about themselves," he said.
