Keiki Sitters owner hopes to send kids to college with OBAMA Hawaii license plate proceeds

Keiki Sitters owner Kathy Custer has come up with a creative way to help fund college educations for two students. She's auctioning off the world's only car with an OBAMA Hawaii license plate!

The world's only OBAMA Hawaii license plate.

As the owner of a babysitting business, helping children is always Kathy's first priority. The proceeds from the purchase of Kathy's Obama car will pay for the college education of brother and sister Katie Garren and Logan Garren.

Katie, 20 years old, is attending community college, working on a business degree and is an aspiring entrepreneur. Logan, 17 years old, is in his senior year of high school, looking forward to graduating in the spring. He aspires to be an electrical engineer, working for NASA JPL.

Kathy Custer

When Kathy heard that Katie, Logan and the Garren family are no longer able to afford their continuing education, she wanted to help. She had no intention of selling her OBAMA car, but other than her business, it's her most valuable asset, and she really wanted to help Katie and Logan. So she's auctioning her truck and transferring the world's only state of Hawaii OBAMA license plate to the highest bidder.

The highest bidder will win the car and the OBAMA Hawaii license plate. Kathy's starting the eBay auction at only 99 cents, but of course hopes to raise enough money to send Katie and Logan to college. The auction will go live on Sunday, Oct. 28 and will close on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6.

More photos and details about the car are available on www.obamacarhawaii.com.

Kathy's OBAMA car has been making headlines. Read the coverage in the local media:

• "Truck with world's only Hawaii OBAMA license plate to be sold at auction"
• "'OBAMA Hawaii Car' Up For Bids"
• "Obama car auctioned for scholarships"

Caring for keiki with patience and kindness

The sitters who work for Keiki Sitters know that each child is different in his or her own way, requiring special care and attention.

One of our sitters, Priscilla McClellan, learned a lot about this while nannying for the keiki of her childhood friend. The keiki required extra special care and attention; the boy, 4 years old at the time, is deaf and blind, and the girl, then 8 years old, is blind.

Priscilla McClellan

“It was a very challenging experience in the fact that I was constantly alert and that I had to use hands-on to teach the children,” Priscilla said, adding that it’s important to stay alert at all times when babysitting, but even more so when sitting for a child with disabilities.

She taught the girl a hula for a luau they were going to by holding her hands and body to help her understand. “She did well,” Priscilla said.

Priscilla, who has worked for Keiki Sitters for close to a year, has been caring for children since she was 6 years old. She helped out with her brother and sisters, giving her mother time to sew so she could put food on the table for her family.

“I take it all in stride. I’ve experienced anything and everything. There is no challenge I will not take,” Priscilla said.

Now a grandmother, Priscilla has years of experience caring for keiki, and it’s natural for her. She treats keiki as if they are her own.

“They respond in kind and before I’m done, it’s like we’re grandma and grandchild. I ask them to call me Tutu, which is the respectful Hawaiian way to address a grandmother,” she said.

Say aloha to Keiki Sitters at upcoming events

September was a busy month for Keiki Sitters, and October is off to an eventful start, as well! We have lots of exciting events coming up that we’d love to see you at. It’s always fun to meet new moms, sitters and families!

Keiki Sitters owner Kathy Custer at the air show on the Marine Corps Base in Kaneohe.

Keiki Sitters will have a booth at the Windward Community College Fair on Saturday, Oct. 6, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are 15,000 people expected to attend – be sure to be one of them! Stop by and say aloha to Kathy Custer, the owner of Keiki Sitters, and learn what makes our sitters qualified to care for your keiki. It’s going to be a fun-filled day at Windward Community College – the Windward Ho‘olaule‘a 2012 will be taking place, a homegrown celebration with food, entertainment and crafts. It’s a great cause, too, because all proceeds from the Ho‘olaule‘a are going to fund Windward Community College scholarships and programs.

Then on Sunday, Oct. 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Keiki Sitters will have a booth at Hawaii’s Children and Youth Day at the State Capitol! This free annual event honors keiki and the contributions they make to our community.

We hope to meet you at one of these events, and mahalo nui loa to all of those who have stopped by the Keiki Sitters booth at the September events and in the past. Be sure to connect with Keiki Sitters on Facebook and Twitter, as well as on our website, www.KeikiSitters.com. Aloha!