Ka Makana Ali‘i, Make-A-Wish® Hawaii Grant Colorado Girl’s Wish To Learn Hula in Hawaii

The 7-year-old with Batten disease will learn hula at the Hālau Hula ‘O Hokulani Hawaiian Cultural Center

KAPOLEI, HI (November 30, 2018) — Ka Makana Ali‘i and Make-A-Wish® Hawaii are excited to welcome wish kid Lilly to Hālau Hula ‘O Hokulani Hawaiian Cultural Center on Friday, Nov. 30. Seven-year-old Lilly is from Colorado and wishes to learn hula in Hawaii.

Lilly was diagnosed with Batten disease, a broad class of rare, fatal, inherited disorders of the nervous system. She is excited to learn hula with her family.

“We’re honored that we get to be a part of granting Lilly’s wish and humbled to be able to share a part of the Hawaiian culture with their ‘ohana,” said Stephanie England, general manager at Ka Makana Ali‘i. “Our greatest desire at Ka Makana Ali‘i is to create a place where everyone from keiki to kupuna can gather and expand their knowledge of Hawaiian culture.”

Make-A-Wish® Hawaii arranged a hula lesson for Lilly and her family at the Hālau Hula ‘O Hokulani Hawaiian Cultural Center in the Macy’s wing across from H&M.

“It’s such a blessing to be a part of Make-A-Wish and to contribute to making Lilly smile,” said Kehaulani Kawai, a kumu hula at Hālau Hula ‘O Hokulani. “Keiki are truly the heart and soul of our halau and to hear a keiki from Colorado embrace our Hawaiian culture is exciting to us. We hope that Lilly can learn the hula to take back home and share with her extended ‘ohana.”

In addition to teaching Lilly a hula to a classic Christmas mele, Hālau Hula ‘O Hokulani will also be teaching Lilly and her family basic Hawaiian words, lei making, welcoming her with an oli (Hawaiian chant by kumu) and gifting her with a hula skirt. They offer hula classes for all levels — beginner, intermediate or advanced — along with after school programs featuring ‘ōlelo Hawaii, ukulele and Hawaiian crafts for all ages.

Lilly has four sisters and loves fairy tale books, chocolate cake, peanut butter pretzels, tomato soup, memory games, “Santa Paws” movie, Kidz Bop music and the colors pink, blue and purple.

Photos available upon request.

Visit our website at www.kamakanaalii.com for more details about upcoming promotions and exciting center events. For the latest news and updates, follow Ka Makana Ali‘i on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, all with profile name @kamakanaalii.

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About Ka Makana Ali‘i
Ka Makana Ali‘i offers residents and visitors a family-friendly, mixed-use center in the heart of Hawai‘i’s fastest growing community. Phase one of the 1.4 million-square-foot Macy’s- anchored regional mall features more than 125 exciting stores, restaurants, a state-of-the-art Consolidated Theatres and the state’s first Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton on property. Serving as the premier gathering place for the community, Ka Makana Ali‘i fulfills the shopping and dining demands of West O‘ahu, where more than 80,000 new homes are projected to be constructed by 2025. Its convenient location offers excellent highway access, ample parking and public transportation for shoppers. A partnership between DeBartolo Development and the State Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Ka Makana Ali‘i will financially support programs benefiting Native Hawaiian interests statewide for decades to come. For more information, please visit www.kamakanaalii.com.

About JLL
JLL (NYSE: JLL) is a leading professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. Our vision is to reimagine the world of real estate, creating rewarding opportunities and amazing spaces where people can achieve their ambitions. In doing so, we will build a better tomorrow for our clients, our people and our communities. JLL is a Fortune 500 company with operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of 88,000 as of September 30, 2018. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit jll.com.

About Make-A-Wish Hawaii
Make-A-Wish® Hawaii creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. We seek to bring every eligible child’s wish to life, because a wish is an integral part of a child’s treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight their illness. Headquartered in Honolulu, Make-A- Wish Hawaii is considered one of the top charities in the state, with 78 cents of every dollar raised going directly toward granting wishes in Hawaii. One of the first local Make-A-Wish chapters established, Make-A-Wish Hawaii continues to be among the busiest in the nation. Together, generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 700 volunteers have granted over 1,300 wishes for children across the state of Hawaii since 1982 and have hosted more than 14,000 others for children around the world; the chapter granted nearly 100 local wishes in 2017 alone, the most in its 35-year history. For more information about Make-A-Wish Hawaii, visit Hawaii.wish.org.

Media Contact:
Alyssa Amasol
(808) 539-3437
alyssa.amasol@anthologygroup.com