Festival Raises $55,000 for Kapiʻolani Medical Center

KAPOLEI, O'ahu, Hawai'i (September 24, 2017) - A giant sand sculpture, a sunset movie feature on the beach and activities promoting sun safety made for a memorable day at the fourth annual Ko Olina Children's Festival. The benefit event for Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children was held Saturday, Sept. 23, drawing more than 2,000 people for a day of family-friendly movies from Disney•PIXAR and special live performances by talented keiki, including Miss Hawai'i Outstanding Teen Maia Mayeshiro.

Ticket sales and contributions from the Ko Olina Resort Association resulted in a $55,000 donation to Kapi'olani, which was presented at the event. Funds from this annual event support Kapi'olani's efforts to provide health care services and specialized programs for women and children regardless of their ability to pay. Over the past four years, a total of $210,000 has been raised by the Ko Olina Children's Festival for Kapi'olani to help care for the children of Hawai'i.

"The Ko Olina Children's Festival was created to inspire and celebrate the creativity in our children," said Jeffrey R. Stone, president of Ko Olina Resort Association and CEO of The Resort Group. "Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children strives to provide the best medical care possible for our keiki and their 'ohana, and we share their commitment to our community. We thank the attendees for their support of this festival and making this significant gift possible."

A Beauty and the Beast-inspired sand sculpture helped generate excitement for the sunset viewing of the latest version of the Disney fairytale starring Emma Watson. Live performances by the Nanakuli High Performing Arts Center and the Hawaii Youth Percussion Ensemble, followed by the Beauty and the Beast film, topped off a spectacular afternoon of fun and excitement. It was quite a sight to see families enjoying the movie on the beach while wearing their souvenir glow wrist bracelets.

Throughout the day, festivalgoers were also able to enjoy film screenings at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, of fan-favorites like "Moana," "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" and "Pete's Dragon."

"We are extremely grateful to Jeff Stone, the Ko Olina Resort Association, and especially the community, who make this event an incredible success each year," said Kapi'olani CEO Martha Smith. "As a not-for-profit organization, we rely on community support to help us fulfill our mission to create a healthier Hawai'i and to provide local families with specialized medical care and other programs that would otherwise not be available."

About Ko Olina
Ko Olina is a 642-acre master-planned resort community on the western shore of the island of O'ahu. Resort partners include Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, Four Seasons Resort O'ahu at Ko Olina, Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club, Beach Villas at Ko Olina, Ko Olina Golf Club, Ko Olina Marina, oceanfront wedding chapels, and the Ko Olina Station and Ko Olina Center retail hub. The resort, known as O'ahu's premier vacation destination, also features four pristine oceanfront lagoons connected by 1.5 miles of shoreline pathways, access to a diverse selection of ocean and outdoor activities, and the island's best weather. For more information, visit Ko Olina.com.

About Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children
Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children is Hawai'i's only maternity, newborn and pediatric specialty hospital. It is well recognized as Hawai'i's leader in the care of women, infants and children. With 243 beds, the not-for-profit hospital delivers 6,000 babies a year, and is also a medical teaching and research facility. Specialty services for patients throughout Hawai'i and the Pacific Region include intensive care for infants and children, 24-hour emergency pediatric and adult care, critical care air transport and high-risk perinatal care. Over 1,500 employees and more than 630 physicians provide specialty care at Kapi'olani. The hospital is home to the Kapi'olani Women's Center and the Women's Cancer Center, and offers numerous community programs and services, such as specialty pediatric clinics, the Kapi'olani Child Protection Center and the Sex Abuse Treatment Center. Kapi'olani is an affiliate of Hawai'i Pacific Health, one of the state's largest health care providers and a not-for-profit health care system with over 70 locations statewide including medical centers, clinics, physicians and other caregivers serving Hawai'i and the Pacific Region with high quality, compassionate care. In addition to Kapi'olani, Hawai'i Pacific Health includes Pali Momi Medical Center, Straub Medical Center and Wilcox Medical Center. Learn more at Kapiolani.org.