Nine-year-old Sara is a very active girl. She enjoys swimming, singing, drawing, dancing, finger weaving, latch hook and gymnastics. When wish granters with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro St. Louis interviewed Sara, they learned she wanted to go to Hawaii to do even more. The energetic youngster wished “to learn to hula and swim with the dolphins.”

With sponsorship from Jewelers For Children (JFC), Sara – along with mom Mary, stepdad Tom and sister Jaime – flew to the Aloha State and rode in a limo, which were both firsts for the young tourist. When the family arrived, it was already too dark to head for the beach, but Sara was amazed at her accommodations at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, calling it “the very best room at the hotel.”

During the family’s first full day in Hawaii, Sara and Jaime ventured to the beach and explored the ocean. They also took surfing lessons. The next day, the family visited Sea Life Park in Oahu, where Sara’s dream of swimming with dolphins came true. After drying off, she watched a show during which a pirate picked her out of the audience, took her hostage and would not let her go until she did the chicken hula dance.

Sara’s next day in paradise was a special one. She hit double digits in age with her 10th birthday. To celebrate, she attended a luau. On the way there, the birthday girl received a “Happy Birthday” serenade from the entire bus. For fun at the luau, Sara got a temporary tattoo, played Hawaiian games, learned to hula dance with professionals and ate birthday cake. At one point, Sara’s birthday was announced to the crowd of about 500 people and she again received a "Happy Birthday" chorus.

Sara’s other activities on the island of Oahu included snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and horseback riding at Turtle Bay. The active youngster is brimming with joy after her Make-A-Wish adventure.

“Hawaii was such a beautiful and special place. We will have very special memories of our trip,” she said.