Citizens come to the aid of Arc of Hilo

The community has come forward to kokua a Hilo nonprofit organization devastated by the Thanksgiving theft of a utility trailer and groundskeeping equipment.

Since a Tribune-Herald article on Nov. 28, numerous donations have been made to the Arc of Hilo, which trains and provides work to adults with disabilities, to help them recover from the loss of the equipment, the value of which police estimated at $4,866.

An email Wednesday from Kurt Corbin, the organization’s board chairman, said donors include one anonymous “angel.”

“The following Monday’s mail arrived and with it a check to cover the entire loss,” he wrote. “The donor had read your article and was moved to the generous act of kindness. Her wish to remain anonymous made the gift even more special.”

Corbin described the loss from the nighttime theft as “heartbreaking for the dedicated staff and the disabled employees who use the equipment in daily employment.”

Charmaine Ka-ipo, the Arc’s employment training manager, said she “almost fainted” when the check came in.

“What a generous woman,” she said, and added numerous smaller donations had come in, as well. “We’re very grateful. A lady who owns a small business called me and said, ‘I want to make a donation because I know how hard you guys work.’

“This is all going to be a big help and we’re very, very happy about it. And that’s because of the news media, believe me, getting the word out. And people are so kind.”

After the theft occurred, Ka-ipo said Arc was hit about two decades earlier, and the community came forward to help then, as well.

“We’ve made it through all these years. We’ve been here since 1954, and we’re still here,” she said. “We really want to thank everybody.

“Because of the generosity of this community, we’re able to get back to work.”

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.