Community members, local organizations and Hawaii’s iHeartRadio stations showed their generosity on Giving Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, raising $658,651 for Kapiolani Children’s Miracle Network. Funds will support several key services at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, including cancer treatments and programs for some of the sickest children in the state.
One of the most memorable moments from Giving Tuesday was when the family of Ally Tamayose visited Kapiolani for this special event. Ally was in the sixth grade when she was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called osteosarcoma. Throughout her cancer treatment at Kapiolani, she displayed incredible courage and resilience, which inspired the hashtags #AllyTamaStrong and #LiveLikeAlly.
Although Ally lost her five-year battle with cancer in 2023, her family continues to raise awareness for childhood cancer in her memory. On Giving Tuesday, the Tamayose ʻohana presented a donation of more than $30,000 for the future Martha B. Smith Cancer & Infusion Center at Kapiolani. Once complete, the center will provide state-of-the-art cancer care for women and children throughout Hawaii and the Pacific region.
“Ally’s story is amazing and people still talk about it today,” said Dayle Tamayose, Ally’s mother. “Her ability to make a difference even though she’s not here — it’s her legacy,” added Tory Tamayose, Ally’s father.
Inspired by the Tamayose ohana’s gift, the family behind C. S. Wo & Sons donated an additional $10,000 for cancer services at Kapiolani, which treats about 1,000 women and children with cancer every year.
Another big Giving Tuesday supporter was D. Suehiro Electric, Inc., which kicked off the campaign by triple-matching all gifts made by community members from 7 to 9 a.m. In total, the locally owned company gave $30,000 to Kapiolani.
D. Suehiro Electric, Inc., kicked off Giving Tuesday by triple matching all gifts for the first two hours.
Later that morning, the Honolulu Hyundai Dealers and Hyundai Hope On Wheels, along with Kapiolani’s 2024 CMN Champion Leila-Rose Coloma, announced a $25,000 donation live on KSSK’s “Perry & The Posse.”
The Honolulu Hyundai Dealers and Hyundai Hope On Wheels presented a $25,000 donation to Kapiolani live on KSSK with the help of Leila-Rose Coloma, Kapiolani’s 2024 Children’s Miracle Network Champion.
Many other local companies found unique and creative ways to fundraise. Fighting Eel raised $25,000 through its cancer awareness t-shirt sales. Diamond Bakery changed the design of its iconic soda cracker box to feature the smiling face of Kalley-Mae Yee, Kapiolani’s 2023 CMN Champion. Diamond Bakery donated 25 cents for every box sold, raising $14,000 for Kapiolani this year.
Fighting Eel raised $25,000 through its popular cancer awareness t-shirt sales.
To celebrate, Butch Galdeira, Diamond Bakery president, prepared a big surprise for Kalley-Mae. He flew to her hometown of Hilo to meet her and her family at their neighborhood Walmart. After revealing how much Kalley-Mae’s special boxes raised for Kapiolani, he invited her to go on a shopping spree and fill a cart with all the toys she wanted.
Beaming with excitement, the 5-year-old began filling up the cart with dolls, stuffed animals, playhouses and more. She even picked out a new bicycle that she rode through the aisles because it was too big to fit in the cart. Galdeira, who personally paid for the gifts, said the experience was “priceless.”
“Just to see Kalley-Mae full of joy was extremely heartwarming,” Galdeira said. “It’s something I will remember for a very long time.”
Diamond Bakery celebrated the success of its CMN fundraising campaign with a surprise toy shopping spree for Kapiolani’s 2023 CMN Champion Kalley-Mae Yee.
The success of this year’s Giving Tuesday wouldn’t have been possible without the collective effort of more than 20 sponsors and supporters who matched all donations from the community on Tuesday. Those partners include Fighting Eel; Steve and Marilyn Katzman; AlohaCare; Constructors Hawaii, Inc.; Cosco Air Conditioning & Refrigeration; Diamond Bakery; Farmers Insurance; American Savings Bank; Coco Moon; Clinical Labs of Hawaii; Commercial Roofing & Waterproofing; Elite Mechanical; Enterprise Mobility; Islands Hospice; Matson; and Riggs Distributing.
“We’re very proud of KSSK’s commitment to Children’s Miracle Network,” said Michael W. Perry, host of “Perry & The Posse” on KSSK. “We love getting behind the kids that need special care. Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children is the only place of its kind within 2,600 miles, and it deserves to have the support of the community.”
100% of the donations made to Kapiolani on Giving Tuesday will stay in Hawaii. In addition to cancer care, the funds will benefit numerous programs, including Animal-Assisted Therapy, Child Life and Keiki Injury Prevention. To learn more about supporting Kapiolani, visit Give2Kapiolani.org.
Photo (top): Family of Ally Tamayose presented a donation in her honor to support Kapiolani’s future Martha B. Smith Cancer & Infusion Center.