The Ace Hardware Foundation Announces Sixth-Annual Ace Cares for Kids All-Stars
Hawaii brothers Kapono and Duke Pavao named “All-Stars” at special Wilcox Elementary event
The Ace Hardware Foundation is pleased to name brothers Kapono (age nine) and Duke (age five) Pavao of Lihue, Hawaii, as the organization’s sixth-annual Ace Cares for Kids All-Stars. Today, the Ace Hardware Foundation and Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children surprised Kapono and Duke at a classroom assembly in front of friends, teachers, hospital staff, and family. The event was held at Wilcox Elementary in Lihue on the island of Kaua’i.
As Ace’s sixth-annual Ace Cares for Kids All-Stars, Kapono and Duke will become national ambassadors for the Ace Foundation, raising awareness for the excellent work that is done at local Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals across the country. Through the support of Ace’s vendor partner Duracell, the Ace Cares for Kids program enables Ace stores to raise funds for their local CMN Hospital using Kapono and Duke’s faces and story as inspiration.
The Pavao family knows all too well the amazing, lifelong care provided by CMN Hospitals. At nine months old, Kapono exhibited signs of bruising and internal bleeding in his mouth. Upon inspection by the doctors at Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children, Kapono was diagnosed with Severe Hemophilia A, an incurable bleeding disorder that prevents the blood from clotting properly and poses a risk for spontaneous bleeding in joints and muscles. Five years later, Kapono’s brother Duke was born and also was diagnosed with Severe Hemophilia A. Since their diagnoses, both boys have developed a Factor VIII Inhibitor – an antibody that renders the standard hemophilia treatment ineffective. Due to this inhibitor the boys must mix and administer high doses of Factor VIII infusions through an IV each morning.
Dr. Desiree Medeiros, Medical Director of the Hemophilia and Thrombosis Treatment Center of Hawai’i located at Kapi’olani and the boys’ doctor, has said that “Because Duke has such a brave and well-adjusted older brother, Hemophilia was never an issue for him and he is proud to be just like Kapono”. Dr. Medeiros believes the boys have a particularly full life compared to other children living with Hemophilia due to the diligence and encouragement of their parents. “The Pavaoses advocate for their boys but neither parent allows the hemophilia to define their sons or their family.”
Thanks to the education and preventative treatment provided by Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children, there are no limitations to the boys’ activities so long as they remain diligent in administering their daily injections and are aware of warning signs. Today, both Duke and Kapono are energetic little boys who love to play baseball, surf, and ride dirt bikes. Doctors hope that if the Pavao brothers continue to take preventative measures and lead healthy lives, they will avoid the internal bleeding, chronic joint disease, and infections that threaten Hemophiliacs.
“We are excited to welcome brothers, Kapono and Duke, into the Ace All-Star family,” said Kane Calamari, President of the Ace Hardware Foundation. “Their story of brotherhood, strength, and living bravely through chronic illness inspires everyone they encounter and makes them the perfect choices for the 2018 All-Stars. Together, the Pavao family will use their story to raise awareness for CMN hospitals and generate funding to ensure their important work can continue to help children like Kapono and Duke.”
Kapono and Duke were selected by the Ace Foundation following a nationwide campaign that gave every Children’s Miracle Network Hospital an opportunity to nominate a deserving patient. As the sixth-annual All-Stars for the Ace Cares for Kids Program, a $10,000 donation from Duracell will be made to Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children in honor of Kapono and Duke. In addition, the Pavao family will be treated to an all-expense paid trip to attend the CMN Hospitals’ annual conference in Walt Disney World. Throughout the year, Kapono and Duke will make special appearances and will be treated to exciting surprises from Ace Hardware.
As a proud supporter of CMN Hospitals, Ace Hardware is dedicated to raising funds for children’s hospitals all across the country, including Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children. Over the past 26 years, the Ace Foundation has raised more than $93 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
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About the Ace Hardware Foundation
As the official charitable division of Ace Hardware Corporation, the Ace Hardware Foundation helps enhance the vision of being the “Helpful Place” in local communities across the country and around the globe through charitable giving. The Ace Foundation provides support and philanthropic opportunities to its consumers, retail store owners, vendors and team members to give back to local communities through fundraising efforts for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and American Red Cross Disaster Relief.
About Ace Hardware
For more than 90 years, Ace Hardware has been known as the place with the helpful hardware folks in thousands of neighborhoods across America, providing customers with a more personal kind of helpful. In 2017, Ace ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Home Improvement Retail Stores, Eleven Years in a Row," according to J.D. Power. With more than 5,000 hardware stores locally owned and operated across the globe, Ace is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace and its subsidiaries operate an expansive network of distribution centers in the U.S. and also have distribution capabilities in Ningbo, China; Colon, Panama; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Its retailers' stores are located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and approximately 55 countries. For more information on Ace, visit acehardware.com or the company newsroom at newsroom.acehardware.com.
About Children's Miracle Network Hospitals
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® raises funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and Canada. Donations stay local to fund critical treatments and healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care. Since 1983, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $5 billion, most of it $1 at a time through the charity's Miracle Balloon icon. Its various fundraising partners and programs support the nonprofit's mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. Find out why children's hospitals need community support, identify your member hospital and learn how you can Put Your Money Where the Miracles Are, at CMNHospitals.org and facebook.com/CMNHospitals.
