Kauai man who aided others now needs help

A fundraiser will be held for a volunteer injured in a crash

KAPAA, Kauai » Robert Nuesca used to spread aloha as an entertainer and share his knowledge as a football and baseball coach with youngsters.

These days, he and his family are just trying to survive, eight months after a traffic accident took his parents' lives and left him a paraplegic and unable to communicate.

HOW TO DONATE Donations are being accepted at any Central Pacific Bank branch throughout the state, via Paypal online at www.paypal.com (account nuescabenefit@gmail.com), or via mail at Robert Nuesca Benefit Fundraiser, c/o Colette Nagao, P.O. Box 324, Lihue 96766.

"Rob and (his wife) Mercy have a connection with almost everyone on the island," said family friend Kathy Freire. "They are such wonderful people."

Now, after giving of himself so freely, Nuesca and his family are asking for a little kokua.

On July 1, the family will hold an all-day event at the Aloha Church in Lihue, complete with entertainment, a paintball tournament, luau dinner, silent auction and booths for food and games.

They hope to raise at least $50,000 to repair and renovate the Nuesca family home in Anahola so Nuesca, 38, can get the 24-hour care he needs and make his wife and their four kids' lives a little easier.

Robert's wife, Mercy, has become the sole supporter for the family, while son Rylan, 17, a recent Kapaa High School graduate, has put his own plans on hold to help out, Freire added.

"The basic physical needs we want to help meet," she said. The close-knit family is "trying not to look back" and remain positive.

Jameel Ramirez, the driver of the car that crossed the center line of Kuhio Highway near Kapaia and hit the Nuescas' vehicle in October 2005, was arrested for manslaughter earlier this week.

Ramirez did not own the car, though, and did not have insurance to cover the accident.

Robert's parents, Helene "Lei," and "Uncle" Louie Nuesca, who moved from the Halawa area years ago, both died in the crash.

They were well-known throughout the Kauai community, both for their volunteer work and for Uncle Louie's work in security at Wilcox Hospital.

Robert also was a volunteer coach for the local Pop Warner football teams and the Kapaa High School junior varsity football team, as well as for little league baseball teams in the area. He's an entertainer by trade, most notably with Uncle Larry Rivera's luau show.

It's not a surprise then, that entertainers will be traveling in from around the state for the benefit, with groups pledging to play from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m., and others waiting in the wings to help.

Otherwise, "we need pretty much everything and anything at this point," said Freire.

Volunteers are needed to tend booths, while a couple of pop-up tents are still needed. Freire said any new items for the silent auction, as well as cooking ingredients and country store items, would also be greatly appreciated.

"Everyone is pitching in,' she added. "It's been a complete outpouring. A lot of people have called, saying, 'I just want to help.'"

Admission is free, with a charge for games, activities and food. To compete in paintball costs $35 per person (three-person teams).

For more information, call Kathy Freire at (808) 651-9023.