Surrounded by dozens of Lanakila Elementary School students, Clyde Ota sat in a large wicker chair normally occupied by Santa Claus at Christmas time.

While it wasn't Christmas, it certainly was an occasion special enough to drag the chair out of the holiday storage closet.

Ota, a blind newsstand vendor at Kahului Airport on Maui, had attended Lanakila Elementary more than 40 years ago, and he chose yesterday to make a $6,000 donation to the school — $1,000 for each grade level.

"It's very, very generous for him to think of us," said Tiffany Whitman, a fourth-grader at Lanakila. "He's handicapped and could have used the money himself."

At yesterday's program, dozens of children sang songs of thanks to Ota for his generosity.

"I just woke up one morning and wanted to help the little people," said Ota, 53, to the young crowd.

Ota has been operating his newsstand at the Maui airport for 22 years and said the amount of money donated to his former school is significant for him. "I don't have millions of dollars — I just wanted to help," he said.

As Ota sat as the guest of honor in the oversized chair, first- and third-graders sang a song written specifically for him — "Mr. Ota, you're the best."

"You're the best in all the world ... You're a hero in our hearts," sang the children.

Representatives from each grade lined up to give hugs and lei to Ota as he hid most of his tears behind his dark sunglasses. At one point, the tears became too much and Ota removed his glasses to wipe his eyes.

"The sound of their voices brought tears to my eyes," Ota said after the program.

One child handed Ota a blue folder full of thank-you letters written by the youngsters. "I need it in Braille," Ota said jokingly.

When it became Ota's turn to say something to the gathering, he was at a loss for words.

"I didn't expect this," said Ota.

But as his speech continued, Ota was finally able to express the reason for his generosity.

"I remember when I was small, how tough it was coming from this area," he told the children.

Ota acknowledged that about 65 percent of the youngsters whom Lanakila serves are in the free and reduced-price lunch program.

After his speech, Ota was bombarded with hugs from the room full of children — some still wiping the tears dripping down their own faces, others screaming "Thank you, Mr. Ota."

Ota said he hopes his donation will lift the spirits of the children and give them the supplies they need.

"Just because they don't have a pencil or a pen, I don't want them to think they can't succeed," said Ota.

Alison Higa, the school's counselor, said she hopes the children learn a larger lesson from Ota's generosity.

"Maybe they'll be aware if you help out one another, it will come back to you," she said.

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.