Laurel Stricklin

Laurel Stricklin knows firsthand what it takes to be compassionate to complete strangers.

In her work as a Hospice Hawai‘i nurse, she cares for terminally ill patients on a daily basis. But that wasn’t enough for the mother of four who moved to Hawaii two years ago when her military husband got stationed here.

Compelled to help people even more, the 31-year-old and her husband, Beau, 35, decided in 2010 to post an ad on Craigslist to fulfill Christmas wishes for needy families, thinking just a few would reply. The couple were blown away by the roughly 30 families who responded to the ad.

“It was just me and my husband — we kind of put it out on a whim,” she said. “Initially we put out the ad and we were just going to take three families. Then our email just got so full of the saddest stories. I just couldn’t turn them down.”

So she proceeded to help each and every one who responded.

That was the start of an annual mission to help people they’ve never met. The couple, originally from Arkansas, fulfilled each holiday wish they received, including purchasing a king-size bed for a family with three boys and completely furnishing a house for a family that had previously been homeless. They even bought decorations to make the family’s new house feel like a home and gave each a Christmas dinner, complete with salad and dessert.

Stricklin eventually got her church involved when the growing list became overwhelming. They started to partner church members with families who

responded to the Craigslist ad.

Last year, the fulfilled requests included the wishes of nearly 70 children. And the need never ceases, but the couple are determined to continue what has become a family tradition.

“I’m not a special person;

I just really like to help people,” Stricklin said. “It’s a wonderful feeling and my kids get to go with us when we deliver, get to see people that are less fortunate. It’s really humbling and nice to be able to give. When you have the means to give, you should.”

Stricklin’s resolve to help others was the inspiration for a new Hospice Hawai‘i program launched in July, called “Little Things, Big Differences.” The program posts a special wish of a patient on Facebook in the hope that community members can help make a difference in his or her life.

Colleagues and church members describe Stricklin as a selfless individual driven simply by the desire to give and be an example for her children: Paris, 12; Cole, 9; Tucker, 5; and Sailor, 4.

“I really see her wanting to teach her children about giving and how it’s important especially during this time,” said Marisa Kawa­moto, administrative assistant at Moanalua Gardens Missionary Church, who sings in the choir with Stricklin. “I see Laurel as really being an unselfish person. She’s very genuine in the things that she says and in the way she conducts herself. She’s just a selfless person. She loves to give. It brings her so much joy.”

That joy has been inherited by her children, who reflect the same positivity and love for life, Kawamoto said.

Stricklin is an enigma for many who have witnessed her random acts of kindness.

“What motivates her is somewhat of a mystery to me,” said Linda Taylor, Stricklin’s supervisor at Hospice Hawai‘i. “Beyond being moved by what she does, I feel that she inspires others to do good. I really don’t know anyone quite like her. When you give the way she gives, when you give selflessly like that, there’s always a risk that most of us are afraid to take — a risk that you’re going to be taken advantage of, hurt or rejected. What she does is show … that the rewards are greater by giving.”

The difference with Stricklin, Taylor said, is that she actively goes looking for opportunities to help strangers with no intention of getting anything in return.

For instance, last year when the couple rented cabins in Waianae for their anniversary, Stricklin met a mother in the area whom she had helped for Christmas. The woman complained that her car had been stolen while she was pregnant, causing her stress that landed her in the hospital.

Touched by her story, Stricklin offered to baby-sit her 12-year-old daughter for the evening. In a stroke of serendipity, while driving with the girl to a Waianae convenience store, she spotted her mother’s stolen car in the parking lot. Stricklin chased down the car while on the phone with police, who arrested the thieves and returned the vehicle.

“She says, ‘God has blessed me, God works through me,’ and I can’t explain it more than that. … Especially at this holiday time in the wake of the (school shootings) in Connecticut, I look at Laurel as a symbol of solace and hope,” Taylor said. “It gives me hope that in the face of acts that are evil and acts that are unkind, there are people like Laurel that bring goodness.”