HUGS Receives $15,000 Grant from Bayer Fund

June 21, 2022

Honolulu, HI / June 21, 2022 - HUGS (Help Understanding & Group Support), a nonprofit for Hawaii’s Seriously Ill Children and Their Families, announced today it received a grant for $15,000 from Bayer Fund, a philanthropic arm of Bayer in the US. This grant will support HUGS’ airfare assistant program.

“We are very grateful to Bayer Fund for awarding HUGS with this $15,000 grant, especially during these challenging times, that will make a significant difference for our HUGS families,” said Joan Naguwa, Executive Director of HUGS.

This grant will not only provide support to HUGS, but also the community we serve by allowing us to send a parent to be with their child as they receive life-saving medical treatment out of state, when such treatment is not available in Hawaii. Medical insurance will pay for airfare for only one parent to accompany their ill child to treatment and often the other parent needs to remain home. Already financially challenged due to the high costs of their child’s medical treatment, they often do not have the resources to pay for airfare for both parents out of pocket. By having this grant award, we will be able to send two parents or guardians to support each other during one of the most stressful periods of their child’s illness.

“Throughout the years, the grants given through Bayer Fund have helped strengthen our communities across the United States,” said Al Mitchell, President of Bayer Fund. “We’re proud to be able to provide support to develop programs like HUGS, which has been critical in providing support services to patients and families managing illness or disease.”

“HUGS does such amazing and compassionate work for the benefit of seriously ill children and their families in Hawaii,” said Dawn Bicoy, Bayer Hawaii’s Community Affairs Manager on Molokai. “We’re very grateful to Bayer Fund for recognizing and supporting the important support that HUGS and other hard-working nonprofits provide to our local communities.”

In 2021, Bayer Fund awarded more than $13.1 million to over 3,400 charitable and nonprofit organizations to help address essential needs in Food and Nutrition, STEM Education and Health & Wellness. Over the last five years, nonprofit organizations across the U.S. have received more than $75 million.

Media Contact:
Alex Wereszczynskyj
alex@hugshawaii.org