Make Lemonade Project
Because donating to a great cause is a great way to start your union.
Kelsey Nishi Darling is a talented calligrapher whose small business, Hawaii Calligraphy, has contributed personalized details to hundreds of Hawaii weddings, baby showers, birthdays, and beyond. Lettering and turning words into tangible products is what she loves to do, but it’s her non-profit organization that is even closer to her heart.
After her husband received a devastating cancer diagnosis, she made the courageous choice to turn lemons into lemonade, so to speak. Thus began the Make Lemonade Project, a Hawaii 5013c non-profit that provides aid to cancer patients in three distinct ways.
There’s Lemon Aid, a donation opportunity that goes towards the enormous expense that comes with cancer treatment in the form of co-pays, travel costs, and the inability to go to work.
Then there’s the Lemonade Stand, set up at adult and pediatric centers on Oahu, a decorated stand where patients and caregivers can help themselves to a variety of free goodies during tough times. Monetary donations can be made for the team to purchase gifts to go in the stands, but you can also donate gifts and retail items (there’s even an Amazon wish list specifically for pediatric cancer patients).
Finally, there’s The Lemonade Shop, a webshop where you can shop and send uplifting gifts for someone you know going through treatment or just having a hard time in general. Items include exclusive collaborations from Hawaii brands and artists such as Jana Lam, Noa Emberson, and Hawaii Calligraphy, of course.
So in the spirit of love, and kicking off your marriage with an act of kindness, here are a few ways to support the Make Lemonade Project during your wedding:
- Add a donation to the Make Lemonade Project to your wedding registry (check out TheGoodBeginning.com and WithJoy.com/registry).
- Encourage your friends and family to shop for any essential wedding items at smile.amazon.com and support the Make Lemonade Project at no extra cost.
- Get your wedding party together to enjoy brunch or lunch and then shop for gifts to donate to the Lemonade Stand.
- In lieu of favors, make a donation and let your guests know by writing a note on a custom sign (made by Hawaii Calligraphy, perhaps!) to place at the reception.
