Legacy of giving

by Donica Kaneshiro | Oct. 4, 2022

Stephanie Choo doesn’t remember a time when her family did not support Aloha United Way.

“From day one from when I started at Hawaiian Electric, I started to donate. Part of it was because my parents always did, especially my dad, so I thought it was just something you did,” Stephanie said. “They worked for companies similar to ours, where it’s a big part of their corporate culture, and so I think I just fed off of that.”

So for the 31 years she’s worked for our company, budget analyst Stephanie has pledged to deduct a portion of her paycheck to help those in need.

“I feel fortunate,” she said. “I never worried about where my paycheck was coming from.”

But it wasn’t until 2020 when her father was diagnosed with leukemia that she found herself receiving support from one of AUW’s nonprofit partners, Saint Francis Healthcare Foundation of Hawaii.

“You always hear somehow, some way along the way you do end up somehow needing a service that they provide, and our family actually did,” Stephanie said.

Her father’s oncologist recommended he receive supportive care, where he could spend his final days at home surrounded by his ohana, and the family would receive all the medical and practical support they needed.

“My dad chose St. Francis. They were so helpful because, you’re not only dealing with the medical side of things, you’re trying to navigate through things like insurance,” Stephanie said.

“They provided a service where instead of us having to take him to the ER all the time, we actually had a designated nurse and she would come do home visits,” Stephanie remembered. “And then they provided us a 24/7 service so we could call them anytime, like 4 in the morning, and they would send someone over to our house to check up on him.”

The family was overwhelmed by the way the nonprofit anticipated their needs and exceeded their expectations.

“For our family, St. Francis was just so helpful,” she said. “We were just blown away by the services that they provided for us. And I just remember right before my dad passed away, he told my mom make sure you donate to St. Francis. They just gave us so much comfort.”

Stephanie was particularly grateful for the time she had with her father since the pandemic prevented the family from visiting him when he was in the hospital.

“He didn’t have to be in a care home or somewhere else. He could spend his remaining days at home with us,” she said.

About a month after coming home, Stephanie’s dad passed away.

“It was really sad, but it was really comforting for all of us to have him there,” she said. “But the supportive care from St. Francis, I can’t say enough about how good they were.”

Stephanie chooses not to support specific nonprofits when she gives to AUW.

“I think a lot of people need my money, so, in my mind, it is better that AUW spread it amongst their partners,” she said. “For me, then it’s far reaching because it hits all areas of our community.”

Although she’s always supported AUW, for Stephanie, the pandemic drove home the extent of hardship in the community.

“Just watching the news and seeing the people in the lines for the food giveaways and the inequities of kids trying to complete schoolwork at home, where some had computers and Wi-Fi versus the kids that didn’t, we’re pretty lucky,” she said.

“I think giving back to the community is just a small way to show we’re thankful for what we have,” Stephanie said. “It’s just being nice, and it’s the right thing to share what we have.”

Donica Kaneshiro is a communications consultant at Hawaiian Electric Company.