Press Release
KAPOLEI, O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi (May 1, 2016)
The third annual Ko Olina Children’s Film & Music Festival, a benefit for Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children, was held Saturday, April 30, and drew more than 2,000 people for a day of family-friendly movies from Disney•PIXAR and special appearances by Jake Shimabukuro and Auliʻi Cravalho, the voice of Disney’s “Moana.” 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 help support Kapi’olani’s mission to provide health care services and specialized programs for women and children regardless of their ability to pay. Over the past three years, a total of $155,000 has been raised to benefit Kapiʻolani.
“The Ko Olina Children’s Film & Music Festival was created to inspire and celebrate the creativity in our children through multiple innovative channels,” said Jeffrey R. Stone, President, Ko Olina Resort Association, and CEO, The Resort Group. “Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children strives to provide the best medical care possible for our keiki and their ‘ʻohana and we share their commitment to our community. We thank the attendees for their support of this festival and our community’s future generations.”
Sunset movies on the beach were the showcase of the event and featured the short film “Lava,” feature film “Big Hero 6” and a special Hawaiʻi viewing of “Ku‘u Lei Melody” shown on a “floating” stage at Ko Olina’s Kohola lagoon. In “Kuʻu Lei Melody,” the 53rd episode of the “Mickey Mouse” cartoon series, Mickey is determined to write a song that leads him on a mystical journey through the Hawaiian Islands.
Throughout the day, festivalgoers also enjoyed film screenings of fan-favorites like “Monsters University,” “UP,” “Inside Out,” “Aladdin” and “Paper Planes” at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa. In addition to Jake Shimabukuro, live performances included Pas de Deux Hawaiʻi, Samadhi Hawaiʻi aerialists, The Playground Dance Studio and POW! WOW! Hawaiʻi School of Music.
“We’re extremely grateful to Jeff Stone, the Ko Olina Resort Association and especially the community, who make this event a success each year,” said Kapiʻolani CEO Martha Smith. “As a not-for-profit organization, we rely on community support to help us fulfill our mission to provide Hawaiʻi’s families with specialized medical care and other programs that would otherwise not be available.”
Thanks in large part to community support, Kapiʻolani’s new 200,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Building will open this July. The building will feature an expanded Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with 70 private rooms and a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) with 14 private rooms. These private rooms will help support Kapiʻolani’s focus on family-centered care, allowing parents and caregivers to stay overnight and be more involved with their children’s care.
Photo Caption – On stage during the check presentation were (pictured left to right):
• Jeff Stone, President, Ko Olina Resort Association
• Elliot Mills, Vice President, Hotel Operations, Disneyland Resort and Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa, and Board Member, Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children
• Sanjiv Hulugalle, General Manager, Four Seasons Resort Oʻahu at Ko Olina
• Martha Smith, CEO, Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children
• Linda Jameson, Senior Development Officer, Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children
• Tom Mundell, Senior Vice President of Philanthropy, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health
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 (set to open June 2016), 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 Click Here
About Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children:
Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children is well recognized as Hawaiʻi’s leader in the care of women, infants and children. With 207 beds, the not-for-profit hospital is Hawaiʻi’s only maternity, newborn and pediatric specialty hospital. It delivers 6,000 babies a year, and is also a medical teaching and research facility. Specialty services for patients throughout Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Region include intensive care for infants and children, 24-hour emergency pediatric care, and high-risk perinatal care. Over 1,500 employees and more than 630 physicians provide specialty care at Kapiʻolani. The hospital is home to the Kapiʻolani Women’s Center and the Women’s Cancer Center, and offers numerous community programs and services, such as specialty pediatric clinics, the Kapiʻolani Child Protection Center and the Sex Abuse Treatment Center. Kapiʻolani is an affiliate of Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, one of the state’s largest health care providers and a not-for-profit health care network of hospitals, clinics, physicians and other caregivers serving Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region with high quality, compassionate care. In addition to Kapiʻolani, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health includes Pali Momi Medical Center, Straub Clinic & Hospital and Wilcox Memorial Hospital.
Learn more at kapiolani.org.