ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY’s Grade 5 students are helping to make a difference this season for many families at the Onemalu Transitional Shelter through their annual Giving Tree project.
Each December, the “Giving Tree” is set up in the elementary foyer and adorned with paper ornaments decorated by the elementary students. Each ornament bears the name and age of a child in the shelter. IPA families are invited to select an ornament from the tree and purchase a gift for that child. This year, more than 60 gifts were selected and donated by IPA families.
“Although the Giving Tree project is organized each year by the current Grade 5 class, it really is an IPA-community project,” said Steve Ross, Elementary Principal. “It’s the support and generosity of our IPA families that help make this project happen.”
The Grade 5 Student Action Committee not only organized this year’s project, but they also helped get the gifts ready for delivery.
On Thursday morning, Onemalu shelter representatives arrived with several cars to load up the presents to take back to the families there. They had a chance to meet the Student Action Committee members, thank them for their efforts, and share with them the impact on the community their actions have.
“This year, we had three or four of the children who were in our shelter come by, as adults now, to give back by donating items for our families,” said Luana Lester Nelson, manager of the shelter. “They remembered how much it meant for them when they were little to receive gifts at this time of the year.”
Mr. Ross reminded the students of the importance of giving back to their community. “We may not know what difference we make, but we know we can make a difference,” he shared.
The Onemalu Transitional Shelter, located in Barber’s Point, is one of two shelters operated by Holomua Nā ʻOhana (Families Moving Forward). The focus of the organization is to offer housing to unsheltered families, with minor-aged children, who are willing to work in a program designed to assist them in finding employment and permanent housing. The Onemalu shelter provides services to 50-60 families annually, including housing, referrals, counseling, classes, and programs and supplies for K-12 students.
