Rocky Seaman and Stacey Holokahi are Hawaiian single moms who keep up a grinding pace of working and taking care of their children on top of pursuing college degrees that might be the ticket to a better life.

Those are basic aspirations for most people, but hard to come by for two women who feel lucky just to have a place to live.

Their dreams for their families are reinforced every day when they come home and see the welcome on their kids’ faces, they say.

They are not expecting to be able to give or get much this holiday season, but "to see my daughter’s face light up with joy and love — that’s all I want for Christmas," Holokahi said.

Seaman said, "I just want to see my kids smile."

The Star-Advertiser’s Good Neighbor Fund is all about brightening lives darkened by hardship through the generosity of readers. The annual Christmas drive raises money and material donations for the Adopt-a-Family program, run by Helping Hands Hawai‘i. Readers can choose a family to assist or add to a general fund that will lift the hearts of 500 families that Helping Hands has put on Santa’s gift list.

Seaman, 39, and her three children were on the verge of homelessness after she was laid off in January and couldn’t come up with the rent. But her sister Christine Kumuhone opened her home to them because she didn’t want them living on the beach, Seaman said.

Kumuhone’s boyfriend and adult son also live in the three-bedroom house.

Seaman said her kids are so proud of her now that she finally found a job.

After months of looking for work, "I was really down," she recalled, but told her kids, "With lots of prayers, all possibilities can happen."

Seaman was hired a month ago as a medical assistant, which she studied for in college. She has to pay off a $3,000 loan before she is allowed to take a certification test.

"I love working with elderly people," she said, a passion that grew out of taking care of her mother and father for years when they were seriously ill. "I like the companionship, listening to them talk about the good old days, just being with them."

Even with all her problems, she considers herself "blessed."

Just coming home to a supportive sister and children has its rewards.

"The smile on their faces makes me happy," she said.

Stacey Holokahi, 24, said raising a 4-year-old girl by herself "is not an easy task, but I wouldn’t change it for the world."

She works part time as a clerical assistant at Kapiolani Community College and is studying full time for an associate’s degree in Hawaiian studies.

"So I practically live there," she said of KCC. But becoming a teacher is still a long way off.

Three years ago, Holokahi was addicted to alcohol and drugs, and was living on the streets or going from "couch to couch" in friends’ houses. She entered the Salvation Army women’s transitional shelter in August 2012 and decided it was time to sober up, she said.

Holokahi was still abusing substances while pregnant, but when her daughter, Tracey, was born, it finally hit her that "I was not the only person in the world," she said. She vowed not to let her daughter grow up in the unhealthy lifestyle of an addict.

Holokahi joined the city’s Rent to Work program several months ago, which entitles her to a substantial discount in public housing if she works at least 20 hours a week and meets other requirements.

Holokahi said Tracey is "just growing and blossoming," adding, "It’s nice to be able to witness it and be a part of that growth."

Her daughter enjoys playing with Barbie dolls and My Little Pony toys. She’s also in need of new clothes and learn-to-write books.

Seaman said although they’re grateful to have a roof over their heads, her kids are yearning to have their own house again and the privacy of their own rooms. Her eldest son, Branageon Kumuhone, 23, has tried to find a job to help with rent, but has not been successful.

He has severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and "has a hard time reading and focusing on one thing at a time," she said. "He is also ashamed of not being able to read well, and doesn’t think he’s smart enough to get a job. Believe me, he is very smart with fixing cars, and is very good working with his hands, like with landscaping."

Branageon would like a bike to be able to get more odd jobs, she said. Her son Charles, 11, and daughter Chansaea, 15, would like toiletries.