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Community of All Sharleen Clemente wants for Christmas is for "all my kids to be normal."
donors helps families
share holiday warmth
The Community Clearing House
connects generous isle residents
with those who are less fortunateBy Pat Gee
Star-BulletinShe and her husband, Patrick, have five children with learning and emotional disorders and "our house is a funny farm -- it's so intense, it's never dull," she said.
But in spite of the high stress, their family is close-knit and supportive, complete with a bedtime ritual of saying prayers together. Both parents can see the humor in the idiosyncrasies their children display because of their particular disabilities.
The Clementes, who live at Mayor Wright Homes in Kapalama, are among the thousands helped by the Community Clearing House annually. The organization, which moved in March from its Sand Island location to a bright and airy warehouse on Nimitz Highway, gives donated items to low-income residents through various social agencies.Today, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin kicks off its annual Good Neighbor Fund drive to help the clearinghouse raise money and collect donated items for needy families.
The Clementes hope to get an upgraded computer to replace the old one they got from the clearinghouse last year to help their children learn to read and write. It would especially help Kaeo, their 9-year-old son, who is very intelligent but not able to form letters by hand. Kisha, who is 12, loves to write stories and has a good vocabulary, but her lengthy stories cannot be saved on the computer they have because it has no memory disks, Patrick Clemente said.
They could also use a kitchen table because the one they have is "shot, wobbly, falling apart," Sharleen Clemente said.
There are times when "we want to run away and cry and hide, but we just keep going on," she said. When tempers and tongues are out of control, "we have a little angel in our home -- Kaeo -- who brings you back to reality," said Patrick Clemente. "If I'm acting mad that day, Kaeo says, 'Daddy's not on God's team today. I'm on God's team.' "
The clearinghouse also gives business groups, clubs or anyone interested the opportunity to "Adopt-A-Family." Adopters are provided with details of the needs and circumstances of a family, which generally remains anonymous.
United Airlines has been adopting families for the past 20 years, said Liana Neff, supervisor of the customer services department and coordinator of the company's adoption efforts for 14 years. UAL has about 14 departments that adopt 12-15 families a year because the employees wanted to be more in touch with the community.
"It's more hands-on, it's more real to them, hearing their story. This way they know their money is going for a family really in need," Neff said.The departments, she said, usually go way over the minimum requirement of giving each child a new toy and set of clothes, and each adult a new set of clothes, a gift certificate from a grocery store and a large item (like a washing machine) on the family's wish list.
Last year, the maintenance department gave a family bunk beds, mattresses, a turkey and ham dinner and gift certificates to Times Super Market and Kmart worth several hundred dollars, she said. Two years ago, the cabin service and baggage handlers went to a home to deliver their items, saw the living conditions, and went back to their fellow employees and said, "we need to cough up more money," Neff recalled.
The reservations department has taken families to brunch during the holidays and some employees have had the families to their homes for dinner. Bake sales and other fund-raising efforts are conducted throughout the year to raise money for these families, Neff said.
"A lot of companies do this. It's what they should do," she said.
Monetary gifts may be sent to the Good Neighbor Fund, c/o Honolulu Star-Bulletin, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802. Many ways to share
this holiday seasonChecks -- not money -- can be dropped off at any of First Hawaiian Bank's 56 branches.
Clothing, household items and other gifts can be dropped off at the Community Clearing House, under the direction of Helping Hands Hawaii.
Address: 2100 Nimitz Highway