It all started with a simple love for singing.
Nicki Lee was a third-grader who loved performing, so she threw a living-room concert for friends and family in 2008 to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House as part of a school service project. She ended up raising $1,100.
That concert planted the seed for Kidz For a Cause, an organization where kids, from elementary to high school, plan events to raise money for nonprofits that benefit other kids. It was founded by a kid, for kids, and is run by a board of directors composed entirely of kids.
Never underestimate what kids can do.
This year, Kidz For a Cause raised more than $300,000 for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women &Children. It was more than double the $108,000 raised from two sold-out concerts for the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Oahu last year.
“Every year, it’s grown, with the amount we’ve raised and the amount of kids involved,” said Lee, now 17 and a junior at Punahou School. “And so it really is a compilation of all our efforts and, of course, the parents’ efforts as well.”
Lee credits her parents, interior designer Cathy Lee and Dr. Darrell Lee, for their support launching Kidz For a Cause and helping it grow. After that first concert as an 8-year-old, she said her mom brought her to Ronald McDonald House to personally present the donation to families, which inspired her to do more.
“The concert was all great and fun,” she said, “but that was the turning point. That was really powerful for me.”
The family motto, according to Lee, is: “Go big or go home.” She continued to dream big, and three years later, Kidz For a Cause threw two concerts at Aloha Tower Marketplace involving more than 50 kids from nine schools, raising more than $10,000 for the American Heart Association.
Besides instilling philanthropy in kids, the organization helps develop leadership and teamwork.
For this year’s fundraising campaign, Lee came up with a new strategy, ThinkTank, which encouraged kids to create their own “FUNraiser” events.
“We encouraged kids to put on their thinking caps and inspire each other and do whatever they love to do,” Lee said. “That’s what I think really allowed Kidz For a Cause to grow so much this year.”
More than 300 kids, ages 6 to 18, organized dozens of events ranging from bake sales to sports clinics and gourmet dinners to raise funds. One second-grader organized a kids’ concert with friends.
The total amount raised came as a surprise to everyone, including Lee, who happens to have been a preemie born at Kapiolani.
“We were very surprised,” said Amanda Price, director of annual giving and philanthropy at Hawaii Pacific Health. “We were blown away by the response. I mean, $300,000 is a lot of money for adults to raise, and even more for kids to raise.”
The funds will help the NICU — which recently reopened on the fourth floor of Kapiolani’s new Diamond Head Tower — purchase incubators, upgrade medical equipment and provide support for families, she said.
“Not only is it incredible to give back, but it can also be a ton of fun,” said Lee, who plans to continue mentoring others. “It can involve your passion and your friends.”
Visit kidzforacause.org for more information.