A Waipahu mom and a Kaneohe grandfather are a couple of the people I’ve met recently whose stories I want to share with you. Both have heartwarming stories that are inspirational. First, Kim Acosta.
Kim’s the mother of a young musical prodigy, Nick Acosta. The 12 year old ukulele player took up the hobby only two years ago, but rather quickly gained media attention for his natural musical ability, combined with a visually stunning handicap. Nick was born with only one arm. “I was nervous at first because I thought people would tease me,” he confides.
To watch Nick perform is to be amazed. That’s the effect he had on his mentor, the legendary ukulele virtouso Roy Sakuma, whose most famous pupil is the international star Jake Shimabukuro.
Nick was in Roy Sakuma’s Ukulele School, when he caught Sakuma’s eye – and ear. “I couldn’t help but notice this kid, and he amazed me!” says Sakuma, who decided he would personally take Nick under his wing.
"I want to play the ukuele like Roy!" says Nick of his new goal. And one day, that just might happen. For now, Nick enjoys it because “it’s great to make people feel inspired and amazed.”
Sakuma says, “You think he has limits because of his one arm, but he just works around it. He teaches me that you can do anything you work at.” Sakuma now calls Nick his ‘partner’ and plays with him at live venues around the state. “You should see how Nick handles himself. He’s so well adjusted. There will be hundreds of people at these concerts, and he isn’t shy about meeting any of them.”
Nick is so grounded and confident because of his loving, strong parents. Mother Kim Acosta shares her philosophy: “I never taught him he couldn’t do anything. I have always treated him like an able-bodied child. He has house chores like his siblings.”
Five year old sister Taylor is, at the moment, trying to piggyback a ride on Nick, who carts her around the living room easily. Kim tears up as she remembers, “It was hard at first for me to sit and watch him struggle with regular tasks like folding clothes, but I had to suppress the urge to just do it for him. I knew he had to learn for himself. And he did.”
When Kim noticed in 2006 that Nick had an affinity for the ukulele, she decided to enroll him in classes, but she never thought he would get this far. “I figured, he could strum with his stump. But he has a little nub at the end of it, and he learned to pick the chords with it.”
This isn’t all Nick can do – and do well. He plays football, soccer, and has a brown belt in karate. “I’m so proud of him. He’s accomplished so much more than I even dreamed for him,” beams Kim. “I always taught him to never give up. And he hasn’t.”
DREAM DOLLHOUSES
85 year old Ernie Soares is a custom home builder- but all his homes are four feet tall. “I make dollhouses for little girls,” explains the proud grandfather of his retirement hobby.
He gestures to several homes in progress. The toys take up one spare bedroom as well as the entire lanai of his tiny Kaneohe apartment. "I've been doing this since 1975," Soares says, though at the time he was living in Long Beach, California and working at the naval shipyard.
He stumbled upon his hobby by accident. “A friend asked me to make a dog house. I realized, if I could make a dog house, I could make a doll house. So I did. I have always like helping people and I have a soft spot for children after my brother George had to go to Shriner’s Hospital for Children.” Without having any specific recipients in mind, Soares made three homes.
Money was tight for the pipe carver/ insulator leader so he would scrounge through alleys on the way home and salvage useful items to use for building the house or its contents. The first lucky little girl was Soares’ grandniece Shannon. He decided to give the other two to Shriner’s Hospital, in memory of George. Then what?
“I read in the paper that the police department was asking for childrens’ toys to distribute at Christmas. I started making a dozen dollhouses a year for the police department to give out,” he says. It got a lot easier to do that when he retired in 1984, and he could dedicate his whole day to making the dollhouses. Soares did that until he moved back home to Hawaii in 1995 to be nearer to family.
“What a great feeling it was. I’d help them give it out at Christmas Eve. I always love seeing the look on the girl’s faces when they get this. Sometimes they cry and say they have never had a dollhouse before. Sometimes they’re as old as 16 years old, and they’re running up to hug me!” he says proudly.
Naturally, his two daughters, three granddaughters, and four great granddaughters have all received their own special dollhouse. "I can make furniture, everything to go in one dollhouse in six to eight weeks,” he estimates, as he gestures to a nearby, three bedroom model complete with beds that even have mattresses and a pillow.
He attends to every detail. "First part of the year I make all the furniture. I know how many dollhouses I'm going to need, how many bathrooms, etcetera. Second half of the year I cut all the houses."
Soares has slowed down his assembly line since moving to Hawaii because his apartment is too small for a full scale production. “Now I just make it for friends, or if I hear of a special cause. I no longer just make it and then look for someone to give it to.”
The homes are probably worth hundreds of dollars, but he has never sold them. “I love making these little children happy,” he smiles.
Here in Hawaii, the Ronald McDonald House, Shriners Hospital for Children, Kapiolani Medical Center’s pediatric ward, and Kaiser Permanente’s pediatric ward have all been the lucky recipients of the elaborate creations, according to Soares.
Now, giving away the dollhouses is a little more bittersweet. Wife Anne died in 2000 just after their 38th wedding anniversary. She was supportive of the hobby and Soares updates Anne about his dollhouse donations during his weekly graveyard visits. “When we lived in Long Beach and I’d accompany the police out on Christmas donations, when I would come home my wife would say, 'How did you guys do?' I would say, 'Honey, I'm very happy. I see all these kids. I even see kids cry because they say, 'I've never had one of these things in all my life.' When I seen that it makes my heart feel so soft."
If you know of a needy little girl or charity that would enjoy a dollhouse, please contact Ernie Soares at home at (808) 234-5651. Please do not call before 9 am or after 9 pm.
