As the COVID-19 crisis unfolded, alumna and Punahou parent Tiffany Farrell ’91 had been wondering how to help, when she received a call from Honolulu OB-GYN doctor Jenny Holzman ’92 Lum.
Lum had secured files for printing hospital-grade respirators, and she was looking to pass them on to a local lab with 3D-printing capabilities. Farrell did, in fact, know just the right people – faculty member Taryn Loveman and his team at the Punahou design labs.
After connecting Lum and Loveman, Farrell went one step further, offering financial support to get the project up and running and to gather and deliver supplies. “I’m not a doctor, and I’m not an engineer, but I knew I could connect the real heroes and help launch this idea,” Farrell said. “It was an incredible opportunity to support those on the front lines, and the awesome design lab team jumped right in. Keeping the front line as healthy as we can helps secure the entire community, and this was a tangible way to support our health care professionals, so they can do what they do with a little more confidence.”
Farrell and her family made a gift toward the PunsUnited Fund to support both the respirator project and emergency financial aid. After talking with other Punahou parents, including several who have lost their jobs, Farrell said she wanted to help increase the School’s emergency financial aid reserves. “When I was in middle school, my family very suddenly needed financial aid for me to stay at Punahou,” she said. “The people that donated to Punahou over 30 years ago made my education possible. I know that the COVID-19 crisis is going to mean the need for financial aid will be growing dramatically at Punahou next year. This is my
kuleana to pay it forward.”
Farrell credits Punahou for teaching her about resiliency and caring for the community. “At Punahou, I learned to think on my feet, work within a team and to give your best, even if all you have feels small to you,” she said. “Helping today’s kids stay at Punahou ensures that we will have the empathetic, problem-solving heroes that we will need in the years to come.”
