Aloha
As the year draws to a close, I want to extend my thanks for all you do for Hawaii.
It’s been quite a year for our island state – we’ve grappled with flooding on Kauai, an erupting volcano on Hawaii Island, and Hurricane Lane damage. Time and time again, we marveled at what was possible when we joined hands and worked together to overcome obstacles. Young people stepped up to lead, nonprofits worked overtime, and givers provided much-needed support.
Beyond the recovery efforts many of us have taken actions to make a difference: we’ve volunteered for organizations we care about and encouraged charitable giving on Giving Tuesday. We found numerous causes to rally around and people to applaud, including Bruno Mars, who completed his world tour with concerts on Oahu and a charitable gift to provide 24,000 additional Thanksgiving meals for people in Hawaii.
Below I’ve included a few updates about our activities at HCF and we’ve aligned them to our CHANGE model: the framework we use to examine areas of impact across Hawaii. Each CHANGE letter represents a sector of focus:
We have much to be grateful for, and so much we can continue to accomplish together. 2018 has shown us that no matter the obstacles or circumstances we encounter, there is much to celebrate, and we can keep improving Hawaii for generations to come. We look forward to continuing our partnership to create CHANGE for Hawaii in the new year.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season,
Micah A. Kane
Chief Executive Officer & President
#GivingTuesdayHI
This year was the second year the Hawaii Community Foundation lead a statewide communications campaign to encourage charitable giving on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Bank of Hawaii, First Hawaiian Bank, Hawaii News Now, Chef Russell Siu, Hawaii Gives Back Magazine, Show and Tell Media, Joseph Esser Photography and many nonprofit partners came together to celebrate with an online campaign and event in downtown Honolulu. Did you give on Giving Tuesday?
Let us know about your giving!
Check out our Facebook photos
Watch the Hawaii News Now coverage
Setting the Record Straight on E-Ciggs
They may not burn like regular cigarettes, but they can still do damage. And it turns out, Hawaii’s youth have adopted this trend at an alarming rate, so the Tobacco Prevention and Control Trust Fund at HCF funded a conference earlier this year to give accurate information to educators and health officials.
Read more about how the fund is informing the public about the risks of vaping.
Nurturing Tomorrow’s Musicians
HCF honored our Legacy Society members with a special pau hana concert this past November featuring a student string quartet from the Hawaii Youth Symphony. The concert was followed by a conversation with Music Director John Devlin about the future of the arts in Hawaii.
See our Facebook photos
Learn more about how you can leave a legacy
Fresh Water
Recent findings have raised concern about long-term fresh water security for our islands and Wai Maoli: the HCF Fresh Water Initiative, is an answer to the public’s growing apprehension. This year, HCF reconvened our funders and partners to prepare for the next phase of implementing our Blueprint for Action. You can also get information from our opinion piece in the Star-Advertiser to remind our communities that we all have a role to play in Hawaii’s fresh water security.
A Sister in Need
Ishigaki City in Okinawa, Japan, and Kauai County have been sister cities since the 60’s. With visits by each mayor, cultural exchanges and educational programs for middle school students, the ‘sisters’ have forged a strong partnership. So naturally, when global news coverage of the April’s Kauai flood reached Japan, Ishigaki officials responded by raising funds to help their sister in need. They even flew to Kauai to personally present a check to Mayor Bernard Carvalho’s office (pictured above from left to right: Darcie Yukimura of HCF, Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Jr. of the County of Kauai, Council Chair Tathuyoshi Chinen of Ishigaki City, Frm. Mayor Marianne Kusaka). Funds were directed to the Kauai Relief and Recovery Fund here at the HCF.
You can read more about the story here.
Providing high-tech, interactive learning that sparks curiosity
Cy Bagano was born and raised on Kauai and always had an interest in “fixing things.” He thought he might work in auto repair until he took computer science courses at Kauai Community College (KCC). His classwork at KCC ignited a passion for technology and launched him on a path of internships and mentorships that resulted in a career in STEM. HCF’s Career Connected Learning program funds learning opportunities and internships to support Hawaii’s students in their entry into careers of renewable energy, health care, marine science, agriculture and other STEM fields.
Read more about STEM and Career Connected Learning
2018 News Highlights
More Here