Giving A $25,000 Hug To HUGS

A longtime Kaimuki-based charity for severely ill children got a $25,000 boost from CPS Insurance Services-Hawaii to enhance its hospital visitation program.

HUGS (Help, Understanding, Group Support) will use the grant at Tripler Army Medical Center for bedside respite, Silver Lining and Laughter Wagon (programs with toys, games and crafts) and amenity kits filled with basic health and hygienic supplies for relatives staying near their keiki. About 20 percent of the nonprofit’s clients are military families.

“HUGS give compassion, offers a place for playtime for the children, a home setting for families to share meals and stories, and most importantly, they accept everyone as they are,” said Lori Tseu-Rodriguez of CPS-Hawaii. She learned of HUGS and its mission through a member of her Girl Scout troop, and then applied to the National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies Charitable Foundation for the grant.

“This invaluable organization has changed the lives of so many,” Rodriguez added, “and will continue to provide warmth and aloha to ill children and their families for years to come.”