Honolulu, Hawai'i (August 15, 2024) — Hawaiian Telcom and its employees statewide have donated $52,000 to three local non—profit organizations dedicated to the arts in Hawai'i.
Hawaiian Telcom employees selected the following three organizations, each of which received more than $17,000, as beneficiaries of the company's annual ArtsWave campaign:
- Estria Foundation (statewide), which beautifies public spaces with murals while teaching cultural importance, mediation and creative collaboration to keiki and at— risk youth;
- Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center (Maui), which provides mental health relief through its Arts with Aloha cultural program, virtual art classes and free keiki art kits;
- Aloha Foundation (O'ahu), which teaches and perpetuates the Hawaiian culture and language through music and dance.
“The arts in Hawai'i, especially non—profit organizations, are still recovering after the COVID—19 pandemic and the Maui wildfires,” said Hawaiian Telcom President Su Shin. “This financial support helps these valuable non—profits to continue rebuilding and creates a more vibrant economy and connected community for all.”
“Thanks to the tremendous generosity of Hawaiian Telcom and its employees, the Hui can continue to bring quality visual arts education and opportunities to more than 20,000 individuals each year, especially to those who truly need it most, including more than 8,000 Maui County keiki,” said Anne— Marie Forsythe, executive director of Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center. “We thank Hawaiian Telcom for recognizing that self—expression, imagination, and creating things with your hands are vital to living a full life. Mahalo nui loo for joining us in our commitment to community visual arts education.“
“Words cannot express how humbled and honored we are to receive this generous makana (gift),“ said Mandi Scott, Kumu and Director of Na Maka O Pu'uwai Aloha. “We will continue to share our culture through music, dance, and by spreading the aloha spirit to our keiki and our community. May our blessings be a blessing for others — mahalo!”
“The awesome donation from Hawaiian Telcom allows us to continue serving Hawai’i’s keiki with much needed cultural arts programming,“ said Estria Miyashiro, co—founder and executive director of Estria Foundation. “Most of the schools we serve are Title I, meaning they often lack access to arts and culture mentoring opportunities. Most grants in Hawai‘i are for programming expenses. These unrestricted funds allow us to cover the parts of our operations that are not covered by grants and we are so very grateful!“
Hawaiian Telcom's annual ArtsWave campaign recognizes the essential role that the arts play in Hawai‘i, bringing beauty and vitality to our local neighborhoods and communities, and fostering creativity, understanding and engagement.
About Hawaiian Telcom
Established by King David Kalakaua in 1883, Hawaiian Telcom, a locally managed legacy company, has served Hawaiʻi's telecommunications needs for over 140 years. Headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaiian Telcom delivers communications solutions, including high-speed internet, video, voice, data network solutions and security, managed and cloud services to residential, business and wholesale customers over its statewide future-proof fiber network. Hawaiian Telcom has expanded the possibilities of community connectivity, offering the fastest, most reliable connection available through its resilient, weather-proof fiber network.
Hawaiian Telcom has made a significant investment in the state, from building local infrastructure, including laying new undersea cables across the Pacific to Asia, to making strides in closing the digital divide by expanding its services statewide and supporting local organizations with programs focused on digital equity. Since 2017, between grants and sponsorships, Hawaiian Telcom has given more than $5.5 million to support nonprofits and charitable initiatives across Hawaiʻi. For more information, visit Hawaiiantel.com.
Contact
Ann Nishida Fry
(808) 285-9289
Ann.nishida@hawaiiantel.com