Recent grants to Hawaii nonprofits
> Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific Foundation received a $5 million gift from the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation on June 27. The gift will support the hospital’s capital campaign for renovations and is the single largest gift it has received. The hospital’s foundation seeks to raise a total of $17.2 million to upgrade the infrastructure and existing rooms and add specialized patient rooms and a garden.
> Network Enterprises received $293,000 from the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, and Mental Health Association in Hawaii got $300,000 from the Homeless Female Veterans and Homeless Veterans with Families program. Both agencies have offices on Oahu and Maui. The federal funding will assist the two community service organizations to help homeless veterans reintegrate into society by preparing them to enter the work force and establish productive civilian careers.
> Marukai Corp. raised $153,572 over a two-month period for Aloha for Japan in the aftermath of the Japan earthquake and tsunami disasters. Marukai launched the initial effort through a donation of $10,000, contacted its vendors for their cooperation, and set up a process by which customers, employees and the community could contribute.
> Waste Not Want Not, a program that harvests unwanted fruit to distribute to Maui residents has received an anonymous $50,000 grant through the Hawaii Community Foundation. The operation had been funded mostly by its founders Jack and Suzanne Freitas, who hope the grant money can also help them plant their own fruit trees on donated land. The grant has allowed the nonprofit to expand its recipients to include the Maui Adult Day Care Centers' Kahului and Wailuku sites.
> First Hawaiian Bank Foundation has granted $50,000 to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum's 2011 Hawaii Conference for APEC's Youth Education Program, which is designed to promote global awareness and the benefits of economic cooperation among Hawaii's youth
> Feed My Sheep, a nonprofit distributing food to individuals in need on Maui, has received a total of $41,500 from these local foundations: Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, $25,000 to assist with the organization's recovery and repairs of vehicle and refrigeration unit damage; First Hawaiian Bank Foundation, a $5,000 matching grant to launch the organization's major gifts program; Bank of Hawaii Foundation, $5,000 toward food delivery to the organization's six distribution sites on Maui; Friends of Hawaii Charities, $5,000 toward purchase of a delivery truck; and Alexander & Baldwin Foundation, $1,500 to replace equipment needed to load and unload of food supplies.
> The Aloha Initiative received more than $35,000 from last month’s “Wear Jeans for Japan” fundraiser. Out of the total funds received, Mana Foods donated $20,000 to the organization. The funds will be used to pay for ground and air transportation to and from Hawaii for Japanese citizens displaced by the March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis. Those selected will be flown to Hawaii and spend up to 90 days with host families.
> Prince Resorts Hawaii associates and more than 300 guests attending the company’s Lokomaikai for Japan dinner combined to raise $31,000 in aid for Japanese victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Associates from the company’s three hotels and golf courses on Oahu and Hawaii island also raised funds. All the money will be donated to the Japan-American Society of Hawaii for donation to the Japanese Red Cross.
> Bank of Hawaii Foundation has awarded the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement seed funding of $30,000 to establish a micro-loan fund dedicated to small businesses, farmers and outdoor marketplace vendors. CNHA will also help borrowers who are unable to qualify for conventional financing.
> Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and its Hawaii associates raised $144,000 to aid Japan following the catastrophic March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Funds raised resulted from Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts matching the associates' contributions, as well as donations made by their retail outlets including Tori Richard Ltd., family and friends.
> Friends of Hawaii Charities awarded $5,000 and the McInerny Foundation awarded $18,000 to support Mental Health America of Hawaii’s Youth Suicide and Bullying Prevention Project, which educates youth ages 12-18 about the signs and symptoms of suicide and how to talk to someone who is depressed or suicidal, and defines bullying and cyberbullying, explaining the impact on the victim and ways to safely intervene.
> Family Programs Hawaii has received a $20,000 grant from the First Hawaiian Bank Foundation to support Family Programs Hawaii’s 2011 Holiday Celebration for foster children and their families. Family Programs Hawaii provides a support network for children entering into foster care, living in foster care and making the transition out of foster care.
> Hawaii People’s Fund, with partial matching funds from Hawaii Community Foundation, has announced nearly $45,000 in funding to support five Hawaii organizations working for justice social change: Hawaii Food Policy Council, KAHEA: The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance, Kokua Legal Services, Mental Health America of Maui County and Opio Haku Moolelo.
> Peter Vincent Architects designed and donated a playhouse valued at $10,000, for a fundraising auction for the Hawaii Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. The playhouse, built by Armstrong Builders using materials donated from the Armstrong Foundation, was purchased by the Bank of Hawaii Foundation for the House of Hope, a Child & Family Service domestic violence shelter located on Leeward Oahu.
> The American Psychiatric Association’s 164th annual meeting at the Hawaii Convention Center raised $7,158 in donations for Mental Health Kokua in Hawaii. The organization helps people with mental illness achieve optimum recovery and the ability to function in their community.
> Friends of Hawaii Charities has awarded a $5,000 grant to Kuakini Health System to provide free health screenings and educational materials at the Great Aloha Run Sports, Health and Fitness Expo, the PrimeTime Wellness Fair, and Kuakini’s annual open house for students. Friends of Hawaii Charities also awarded a $4,000 grant to the USS Missouri Memorial Association for education programs for Hawaii K-12 Title 1 students including outreach programs, overnight encampments and school field trips with activities focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Correction: McInerny Foundation, Bank of Hawaii trustee, has awarded a $50,000 grant to PBS Hawaii to continue public education outreach with the science series “NOVA” and “Biz Kid$,” a financial literacy program for young students. An item in the June AGENDA incorrectly said the foundation was a trustee of the bank.
