John Borge used Teacher Appreciation Week prize on family visit to dying father
Posted: April 26, 2024
For a Lahainaluna High educator, Teacher Appreciation Week set the stage for a trip he and his family will cherish forever.
Last May, the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association randomly selected John Borge, who teaches U.S. and modern Hawaiian history, to receive two tickets from Alaska Airlines. While he was thrilled, he admitted he wasn’t sure how he would use them at first.
Then in November, his father’s health took a turn. “Pops” lived in Las Vegas and was battling stage four colon cancer.
With two young daughters, a 3-year-old and newborn, Borge says money was tight. The tickets allowed him to book a last-minute family trip over the holidays.
“By this time, we were pretty sure that this might be the first and only time for (my father) to meet Quinn and see his son’s family again,” he said.
“We spent five days going to and from our hotel to his house and got to make some priceless pictures and memories,” Borge said. “He got to meet his second granddaughter, Quinn, for the first time and see his granddaughter Violet for the second time.”
Borge even snapped a photo of Pops enjoying a hug from his eldest daughter. “It’s the last picture we will ever have of them together,” he said.
A few weeks later, on Jan. 23, 2024, Pops died.
Borge credits HSTA and Alaska Airlines for facilitating their last moments together.
“We were so incredibly grateful for the passes, because we would not have been able to afford to go without them,” he said. “In a very real sense, your kindness allowed us to make a few final memories with my dad.”
For 2024 Teacher Appreciation Week, HSTA is partnering with Alaska Airlines and National Car Rental to give away two round-trip airline tickets and a two-day car rental to three lucky members. Learn more and enter by April 28.