Marsha and Mary Ah Yee, sisters from Molokai, kept craning their necks.
They were waiting inside an outdoor enclosure at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua.
"Where is she?" they asked repeatedly as the watched for their mother to walk though the gate.
When they finally spotted Tammy Ah Yee, they ran toward her at breakneck speed and buried their faces on each side of her neck, squeezing her tight.
Marsha, 21, later made fun of her own haste.
"I almost pushed my sister on the ground!" she confessed.
She and Mary, 12, hadn’t seen their mother in almost two years, and part of their excitement was flying to Oahu for the first time.
Tammy Ah Yee said, "All I could say was, ‘Oh, my God! Oh, My God!’ I get butterflies in my stomach. It’s so good to see them."
All around her were other women swarmed by children they hadn’t seen in years because they live on the neighbor islands and couldn’t afford the flight.
There were long, gripping embraces and closed eyelids overflowing with tears. Then nervous laughter and chatter filled the air as they started catching up on family news.
The Christmas season reunion Saturday was arranged by the Star Light, Star Bright program, a ministry of the Catholic Diocese of Honolulu.
In its 15th year, the program now serves 159 children. Star Light began flying children in from the neighbor islands two Christmases ago, and providing them with free rooms at St. Stephen’s Diocesan Center, ground transportation and meals.
This year, 59 children and 34 caregivers came in from their neighbor islands for the 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. party.
Star Light coordinator Paulette Vernay said the program was started with the conviction that no child whose mother is incarcerated should feel forgotten or alone during the holidays, and that reuniting them for Christmas would help mend damaged relationships.
"Many children, especially middle-schoolers and teenagers, felt resentment that their moms were not there for them," she said.
Shayden Kalani, 13, came from Hilo with his aunt Starlette Kalani.
He hadn’t seen his mother "in a long time," he said, adding, "I never had a mom growing up."
Chantelle Kalani sat close to her son, patting him.
He was an infant the first time she was incarcerated on a drug conviction, she recalled. A parole violation landed her back behind bars.
"I’m not a bad person, but I’ve made some bad choices (that) separated me and my son," she said. "I haven’t seen him in two years. He’s grown a lot! He’s almost as tall as I am! He’s sprouted! His attitude, too. I can tell he’s become a young man."
Although she writes him letters, he doesn’t write back because "I don’t think he knows what to say," she said. "I can’t blame him; I’ve been absent in his life a long time. …
"In the last letter I apologized for all the things I’ve done wrong to him, for coming in and out of his life, for not being the mom I should be."
Donna Howard brought her four grandchildren, ages 8, 6, 4 and 3, from Molokai to see their mom, Brittanie Howard.
She’s been taking care of them since her daughter was incarcerated in 2012.
Since then, the kids hadn’t seen their mother until this Halloween and Thanksgiving, when the Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center paid for their trip, she said. Star Light, Star Bright provided the third visit in as many months.
"They couldn’t wait to get here," she said. "Every day it’s been, ‘Is it time yet, Grandma? Are we going yet, Grandma?’"
They’ve missed their mother badly, Howard said.
"And it shows. They’re lonely. They need mommy."
The program is still $9,000 short of the $19,000 cost of airfare, according to Vernay. The community may contribute at www.catholichawaii.org; or by emailing pvernay@rcchawaii.org or calling 203-6722.
