Freshly delivered toys await wrapping by Imua’s army of elves!

WAILUKU — The holidays just aren’t the same without merriment, cheer and gift-giving! This outlook on the holiday season has persisted with Imua Family Services since its very first Keiki Holiday Party back in 1950. At the time, the guest list included the families of Imua’s clients, who consisted primarily of children affected by the ongoing Polio pandemic.

While the non-profit’s services have grown and changed over the past 70 years to adapt to the ongoing needs of the community, Imua’s records show that at least one thing has remained the same: at their very first holiday party, the children received a surprise visit from Santa Claus bearing wrapped gifts for each and every one of them.

Imua Family Services has carried on this tradition for decades, and thanks to the support of JAKKS Pacific Inc., the tradition will continue this year as well.

In the wake of the wildfires this past August, Imua Family Services made the decision to not burden the community with its usual toy drive, instead reaching out to their friends at JAKKS Pacific Inc., who once again came through with a massive donation consisting of thousands of toys. The California-based company, a distinguished leader in the world of play since its inception in 1995, had previously provided Imua with enough toys and costumes to stock a pop-up toy store at the Maui Harbor Shops for those affected by the wildfires.

That effort, which remained open through Halloween, provided loads of toys in addition to over 5,000 costumes for Maui County’s keiki, and Imua is pleased that JAKKS Pacific is once again coming through with a massive delivery surpassed only by Santa himself.

The nearly 75-year tradition of the Imua Keiki Holiday Festival is important to families receiving services and participating in the many programs at Imua Family Services.

Together, families find support, joy and celebration through the traditions of the holiday in a child-friendly and safe environment.

Dean Wong, executive director at Imua Family Services, emphasized, “Many of the children currently receiving services in our programs were born and raised during the COVID pandemic. They’ve begun their lives facing isolation and a lack of connection during the most critical years of their development. Add to that the devastating catastrophe of the recent fires, loss of schools, preschools, childcare and kupuna – it’s a lot for these developing minds to deal with. The holiday season provides us with an ideal opportunity to bring back the joy and laughter.”

Wong expressed gratitude for the invaluable support received from dedicated partners, stating, “None of this work would be possible without the generosity of businesses like JAKKS Pacific, Inc., who stepped up to help Maui during a time of disaster and economic crisis, and continues to provide much needed assistance.”

“We are honored to be able to provide support to the community of Maui as they recover from their recent wildfires,” said Stephen Berman, chairman and CEO of JAKKS Pacific. “We understand that the road to recovery will be a long and difficult one. While we cannot imagine the loss that people are experiencing, we hope our partnership with Imua Family Services will bring some relief to Maui’s children and families.”

To learn more about the Keiki Holiday Festival, visit https://discoverimua.com/holiday.