Hawaii Nonprofit people in the news

2009 National Philanthropy Day honorees get awards

The Association of Fundraising Professionals-Aloha Chapter presented the 2009 National Philanthropy Day Awards for the State of Hawaii at its 18th annual conference and awards luncheon on Friday, Nov. 20, at the Sheraton Waikīkī.

The awards recognize the outstanding achievements of philanthropists, volunteers, corporations and small businesses whose contributions have made a significant impact in the State of Hawaii. They include:

• Outstanding Philanthropists: General (Ret.) Fred and Mary Weyand, selected for more than 30 years of financial support and volunteer time to local, national and international causes, including Hawaii Theatre Center, the Hawaiian Humane Society, Rotary Club of Honolulu, American Red Cross, East-West Center and Hawaii Army Museum.
• Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser: Edith Leong for more than 50 years of combined volunteer leadership service at the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific Foundation, St. Louis School and the Augustine Educational Foundation.
• Outstanding Corporation: HONBLUE, which in the past year alone, has partnered with more than 30 Hawaii nonprofits, providing cash contributions, in-kind services, consulting time, marketing materials, concept design and printing to improve and sustain agencies that promote the well-being of children and youth, health awareness, education, arts and culture, among others. The company led implementation of an effective on-line donation system to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Honolulu that increased their donor base by 1,500 individuals. Nearly 90 percent of its 130 employees participate in community giving, including collecting more than 22,000 pounds of food for the Hawai'i Foodbank.
• Outstanding Small Business: Service Rentals, which has helped Maui Arts & Cultural Center to stage live performances on Maui and supported the American Cancer Society, A Keiki's Dream, Maui Hotel & Lodging Association's annual "Excellence in Education" fundraiser, and the American Breast Cancer Foundation. Service Rentals encourages its 62 employees to participate in the community which they do through their churches, hula halau, Boy Scouts, community sports activities and more.
• Outstanding Professional Fundraiser: Sarah Richards, who has been dean of Student Services at Chaminade University, director of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and now serves as executive director and president of Hawaii Theatre Center, has lead fundraising efforts to build dorms and create scholarships, to establish a folk arts and humanities program in Hawaii, and to save and restore the Hawaii Theatre in downtown Honolulu. In addition, Richards has served the Hawaii Planned Giving Council, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Honolulu Culture and Arts District, and the Hawaii Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations.
• President's Award: Barry and Virginia Weinman, in recognition of volunteer leadership and personal philanthropic investments that led to the successful completion of the historic Centennial Campaign for the University of Hawaii, which raised $336 million in gifts and bequest from more than 90,000 donors and is the largest fundraising campaign to date in Hawaii. The Weinman's personally invested more than $5 million in the university and Mr. Weinman has served nine years on the UH Foundation Board of Trustees and led the foundation's Investment Committeenow. He now chairs the board and serves on UH Manoa's Prioritization Committee.

League of Women Voters honors Donna Wong

On Friday, Nov. 20, the League of Women Voters of Honolulu presented the second annual Donald & Astrid Monson Community Action Award to Donna Wong, executive director of Hawaii's 1000 Friends "for her outstanding community service to protect Hawaii's fragile environment." The $5,000 award is given to an organization or individual who has made the year's outstanding contribution toward or involving public interest, planning, housing or environmental issues. "The League is proud to honor this courageous, hard-working woman who has volunteered much of her life to protecting our aina," said Piilani Kaopuiki, league president.