Friends of UH Mānoa Children’s Center is a multi-functional collaboration between our parents and our staff operating as a non-profit 501(c)(3) to help the Children’s Center to fundraise. The Center uses these funds to provide bus transportation to various events, pay for admission to various venues like the Hawai‘i Theatre and speaker fees for staff professional development and parent seminars. We also use these funds to support family events like our annual Luau. These funds allow our program to present diverse experiences for both our children and our families. Following our primary mission, 75% of our families are students of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and many of these families do not have a home budget that allows for discretionary spending. A financial stream that does not rely on internal contribution allows our program to offer these experiences and opportunities at low or no cost to participants so everyone has an opportunity to participate. If you would like to make a donation to this fund or know of someone who would like to donate, our federal tax exempt identification number is: 47-4428826. We encourage volunteers to join one of our committees to bring a family event to life or help organize one fundraising activity.
How Do We Help The School?
While fundraising is not overly exciting, what we do with those funds IS! Friends of UH Mānoa Children’s Center funds have enabled classes to take learning trips, buy new plants for the native Hawai‘ian gardens, and to provide seed money for playground renovations. Funds have also been given to teachers to allow them to do special classroom activities that the regular UHMCC budget (and the teachers’ salaries!) can’t support. We always welcome suggestions for new fundraisers, as well as the people power to make that fundraiser happen.
Join Us!
We do our best to keep in touch with you by sending out emails with information about upcoming meetings, fundraisers, and events. There should also be information on your classroom’s clipboard, often with a sign-up sheet to encourage your participation. Please feel free to drop a note in the Friends of UH Mānoa Children’s Center folder (in front of all the parent files) or to contact a Friends of UH Mānoa Children’s Center board member if you ever have any questions, concerns, or suggestions…or if you just need a little more information!
Even better: come out and participate! Come to meetings and share your ideas on how to improve the Big and Little Houses. Share your expertise with the keiki in the classroom, or spend some time reading a book or rubbing a back at nap-time. Sign up for potlucks and workshops, help out during fundraisers, or work at the bi-annual rummage sale (Fall & Spring), Community Yard Days, Recycling, or End-of-the-Year Social Event (and at all other sorts of great events in between!!). We always welcome new faces.
Mahalo nui loa for your time and effort in supporting your teachers and keiki. We hope that we will have the opportunity to meet you soon!