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UHA KICKS OFF KAPIʻOLANI’S 2021 VIRTUAL RADIOTHON FOR KIDS WITH THE BIGGEST GIFT IN EVENT HISTORY

HONOLULU (September 9, 2021) – The 2021 Virtual Kapi‘olani Radiothon for Kids, a two-day broadcast fundraiser on KSSK 92.3FM/AM 590, is off to an unforgettable start with a $100,000 donation to Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children from UHA Health Insurance! The gift is the biggest in the event’s 15-year history and the first-ever, six-figure donation.

The announcement of this groundbreaking donation was made live on air, and was extra special for KSSK personality Michael W. Perry, who has been at every Radiothon since the event’s inaugural year in 2007. The unexpected reveal was a complete surprise to the KSSK team and was met with cheers and tears from Perry and the Posse, who along with KSSK have dedicated years to making the Kapi‘olani Radiothon for Kids one of the most successful fundraisers for the Kapi‘olani Children’s Miracle Network.

 

“When this Radiothon began, nobody had any idea it was going to get this big,” said Michael W. Perry, KSSK radio personality. “What an amazing ride this has been! The $100,000 donation from UHA Health Insurance was unthinkable when we started 15 years ago and here we are. The synergy for this event is incredible. This KSSK radio audience does things that no other audience does, then you combine that with the goodwill of Kapi‘olani through the years – that together is magical.”

 

UHA’s incredible generosity comes at a time when health care matters even more to people as the state and the rest of the world continues to face the COVID-19 pandemic. As Hawai‘i’s only full-service children’s hospital, Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children provides for both COVID and non-COVID health care needs for children from Hawai‘i and the Pacific region.

 

“Because UHA was founded by physicians, we have built lasting relationships with not only our members, but also with Hawai‘i’s hospitals,” explained UHA President and CEO Howard Lee. “Our ties with Kapi‘olani Medical Center have grown even closer over recent years as our own associates have helped raise money for its many worthy programs to support greater community health.”

 

With 166 employees, UHA has a long history of supporting Kapi‘olani for more than a decade. UHA has also been a part of the Radiothon both as a sponsor and as a volunteer phone bank team with its staff taking donation calls that help generate much needed funding for Kapi‘olani.

 

UHA is one of many community organizations and businesses who stepped forward to show their support for Kapi‘olani during the annual Radiothon.

This year’s sponsors include D. Suehiro Electric Inc., Bank of Hawai‘i, First Hawaiian Bank, AlohaCare, Windward Auto Group, Clinical Labs, Farmer’s Insurance, Motiv8 Foundation, HMSA, Coca Cola Odom Corp., Swinerton, Raising Cane’s, Enterprise and Atlas Insurance.

The presenting sponsor for the 2021 Radiothon for Kids is D. Suehiro Electric, Inc. Year after year, the local electrical company and its staff get involved with Radiothon. To commemorate D. Suehiro Electric’s 2021 donation and passion for education, part of its sponsorship funding will be used toward a School Supply Station for Kapi‘olani’s Brain Station, the classroom space for hospitalized kids to keep up with their school work while undergoing treatment.

 

“D. Suehiro Electric Inc. is honored to be an ongoing sponsor of the Kapi‘olani Radiothon for Kids,” said Jobelle Kamealoha, project manager for D. Suehiro Electric, Inc. “This School Supply Station is important to our company. We believe in supporting kids who are hospitalized get better both physically and mentally. Helping provide patients the resources they need to do their school work while in the care of Kapi‘olani means a lot to families.”

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and in consideration of the safety and health of everyone involved, KSSK radio personalities will be broadcasting from the station’s studios while families and volunteers engage remotely online and Kapi‘olani’s staff members take donation calls from the medical center.

 

To celebrate this milestone anniversary, KSSK personalities will share updates on former Radiothon families, present Kapi‘olani with Wish List items purchased through donations, and give a plush Ruby doll, Kapi‘olani’s new hospital facility dog, to a hospitalized pediatric patient for every Miracle Maker pledge. Day one of the Kapi‘olani Radiothon featured inspiring stories from patients and their families about how Kapi‘olani cares for some of the most medically fragile children and supports many kids who require specialty services.

 

Event organizer iHeart Media Honolulu is proud of Radiothon’s impact on the local community as Kapi‘olani fulfills its mission of creating a healthier Hawai‘i. All Radiothon donations support Kapi‘olani, Hawai‘i’s only Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospital, with 100 percent of every dollar raised staying in the islands to help local keiki with programs and services that would not otherwise be possible.

 

These gifts help support exceptional care and innovative research at Kapi‘olani that can keep Hawai‘i families close to home for their care. As a not-for-profit medical center, Kapi‘olani treats kids no matter their illness or injury regardless of a family’s ability to pay.

 

To donate to the Kapi‘olani Radiothon for Kids, go online to Give2Kapiolani.org/Radiothon, call

951-KIDS (951-5437), or text “KEIKI” to 51555. The Radiothon for Kids is from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 9, and Friday, Sept. 10.

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 253 beds, the not-for-profit hospital delivers more than 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. More than 1,600 employees and approximately 600 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 and the Sex Abuse Treatment Center. Kapi‘olani is an affiliate of Hawai‘i Pacific Health, one of the state’s leading health care systems and a not-for-profit health care organization of medical centers, clinics, physicians and other caregivers working together to create a healthier Hawai‘i. 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.

 

About Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® raises funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and Canada. Donations stay local to fund critical treatments and healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care. Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children has had a partnership with Children’s Miracle Network for over 35 years. Since 1983, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $7 billion, most of it $1 at a time through the charity’s Miracle Balloon icon. Its various fundraising partners and programs support the nonprofit’s mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. Find out why children’s hospitals need community support, identify your member hospital and learn how you can Put Your Money Where the Miracles Are, at www.CMNhospitals.org and Facebook.com/CMNHospitals.

Provided by: Kapiolani Health Foundation Communications