To live on Kaua‘i is to love Kaua‘i, and to love our home means doing our best every day to make it an even stronger, more supportive community. That’s a big part of what we do at Gather FCU. From working with individual members to helping them reach their financial goals, to being an active part of local schools and teaching young people about smart money habits, everything we do as individuals to make a better Kaua‘i, helps us all as neighbors. That’s why, when we learned about a special opportunity, to help a very special young man, we couldn’t pass it up.

Aidan is 10-years-old and lives on the Westside with his parents and sister. He’s a wonderful, bright and inspiring boy. Aidan’s spirit is even more impressive when you consider that he has been diagnosed with a rare, critical illness. As any one of us would, Aidan’s wish was to spend time away from endless doctor and hospital visits. He wanted to experience salmon fishing, firsthand, in Alaska. With the help of our community, and Make-A-Wish Hawai‘i, we’re helping to make Aidan’s wish come true.

Since 1982, Make-A-Wish Hawai‘i has granted life-changing wishes to more than 14,000 wish kids and their families. The Hawai‘i chapter is among the busiest in the nation, as it not only grants wishes for local keiki, it also coordinates and hosts the wishes of children from around the world who wish to see Hawai‘i.

“It takes a community to help make wishes possible for our local children and we are grateful for this partnership with Gather Federal Credit Union to help share the power of a wish with our waiting wish children,” said Trini Kaopuiki Clark, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Hawai‘i.

“It takes a community to help make wishes possible for our local children and we are grateful for this partnership with Gather Federal Credit Union,” said Trini Kaopuiki Clark, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Hawai‘i.

The Make-A-Wish Hawai‘i chapter aims to grant the wish of each and every Hawai‘i child with a life-threatening medical condition, and each year the power of a wish extends beyond the children served, into communities at large. With more than 840 volunteers and more than 300 business partners statewide, wishes bring people together providing strength and hope through a transformational experience for all involved.

It was natural for Gather FCU to take part in this important fundraising challenge. In December, we hosted our 8th Annual Breakfast with Santa to benefit Make-A-Wish Hawai‘i. It was a great success. And, along with generous donations from Gather members, we’re close to reaching our goal and making Aidan’s wish come true. There’s even time for you to help. We’ll be accepting donations in any amount at each of our five office locations (Kukui Grove, Lihue, Kapaa, Eleele and Waimea) through May 31, 2020. You don’t have to be a member to give, and every bit helps. When you donate, you’re giving children renewed strength to fight their illness, bringing families closer together and uniting our island communities.

“Gather was built on the idea of uniting our communities and keeping those bonds strong, everything we do is in service of that goal,” said Tess Shimabukuro, CEO of Gather Federal Credit Union.

At the heart of what makes Gather so special is our members—the people of Kaua‘i and our island communities. We care about our future and we help make dreams come true. We love bringing people together—to talk story, to listen, to learn—and to share our island culture. We are here to enrich lives and to remind each other that together, we are stronger.