Faces of
Philanthropy Fall 2006
Quarterly News from the Hawai‘i Community Foundation
A Passion for Saving Lives OUR MISSION We help people make a difference by inspiring the spirit of giving and by investing in people and solutions to benefit every island community.
Every year Dr. Frank and Laura Sayre relive their personal tragedy in order to make their community a safer place. The Sayres established the Daniel Robert Sayre Memorial Foundation Fund at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation in 1998, after the passing of their son in a hiking accident in Pololu Valley on the island of Hawai‘i. Out of their heartache arose the couple’s awareness of the need for critical improvements in emergency operations on the island. The fund helped to memorialize Daniel’s life and express appreciation for the rescue workers who risk their lives every day. “We decided that a memorial fund honoring fire, rescue and emergency personnel is an appropriate way to say ‘thank you’,” said Frank Sayre.
and provide training to prepare emergency responders to serve the community. To date, more than $200,000 has been raised through the fund. The Sayres also host an annual recognition dinner where outstanding fire department employees are honored for their extraordinary rescues. At this year’s dinner in September, the Hawai‘i Fire Department received a donation of $80,206 from the D.R. Sayre Memorial Foundation Fund, with support from the Ironman Foundation and others in the community. “We’ve been inspired by the many people who have made contributions and expressed their desire to promote the intent of this fund,” said Laura Sayre. “If we can help save even one life, then it’s all worth it.” For more information on contributing to this fund, please contact Julie Tulang, Hawai‘ i Island foundation associate, at (808) 885-2174 or jtulang@hcf-hawaii.org
The fund has become instrumental in raising money to purchase specialized rescue equipment, such as site utility vehicles, scuba tanks and portable radios for the fire department Dr. Frank Sayre, at left, and Laura Sayre, at right, present an equipment grant to Hawai‘i Fire Department Chief Darryl Oliveira. The grant is from the Daniel Robert Sayre Memorial Foundation Fund of the Hawai‘i Communty Foundation.
For more information on connecting with a cause that you care about, please contact HCF’s Donor Services department at (808) 566-5560 (toll-free at 1-888-731-3863) or email donorservices@hcf-hawaii.org
www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org
leading the mission
a message from our board chairman and president
As we say goodbye to another year, we would like to thank you for your support of the community and for your generous giving spirit. For many of us, 2006 will be remembered as another extraordinary year of giving to and caring for others. We cannot forget the outpouring of support for the Kaua‘i Island Fund that helped victims and their families after the devastating dam breach on March 14 on Kaua‘i. And we are witnessing this support again most recently with the catastrophic earthquake that hit the Big Island on October 15 and destroyed parts of the island’s infrastructure and hundreds of homes.
In the end, no matter what the cause, your gifts of funds, time and other resources continue to enhance the lives of many individuals and families living in Hawai‘i. We are honored that you have chosen to entrust us with your charitable funds. To find out how we can help you to achieve your year-end giving goals, please call us or have your advisor contact us at (808) 566-5560 (toll-free at 1-888-731-3863). Best wishes this holiday season, Robert R. Bean, Chairman of the Board Kelvin H. Taketa, President & CEO
Hawai‘i Community Foundation, together with the Governor’s Office and the American Red Cross Hawai‘i State Chapter, established the Hawai‘i Island Earthquake Recovery Fund to assist Big Island residents with long-term repairs and rebuilding. Hawai‘i Community Foundation will distribute funds raised to appropriate nonprofit organizations that are willing and able to help those affected by the earthquake get their homes repaired or rebuilt. To date, nearly $300,000 has been raised from caring individuals to assist in this effort, and we are still accepting contributions through our Web site: hawaiicommunityfoundation.org.
The IRA Charitable Rollover An estimated $3.6 trillion is currently invested in IRAs, and the total continues to grow. For the first time, IRA owners can give a portion of their retirement savings directly to charity without first counting it as income and paying income tax. For larger estates, a good portion of IRA wealth goes to estate and income taxes of beneficiaries. Experts estimate heirs will receive less than 25% of most IRA assets that pass through estates. In 2006 and 2007, holders of traditional and Roth IRAs who are at least 70 1/2-years-old can make direct charitable transfers up to $100,000 per year. As a qualified public charity, the Hawai‘i Community Foundation can help you execute the transfers to an existing fund or to create a new one. Learn more by calling our Donor Services department at (808) 566-5560 (toll-free at 1-888-731-3863) or email donorservices@hcf-hawaii.org.
Check Out Our New
Web Site!
We are pleased to announce the launch of our newly redesigned Web site: www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org Come and visit for information about: • giving options • helpful giving resources • issues and trends affecting our community and more...
Facesof
from island to island
Philanthropy
Jocelyn Romero Demirbag joins HCF’s Maui County Office Jocelyn Romero Demirbag is HCF’s new foundation officer for Maui County. She previously was chair of school at Haleakala¯ Waldorf School, providing overall leadership and direction for the school since 2001. Jocelyn’s other professional experience includes serving as a regional coordinator for the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America and as a member of a number of accreditation teams. She is also a Hawai‘i Community Foundation PONO fellow, a leadership development program for seasoned nonprofit executives.
Raised on Maui, Jocelyn is a Maui’s new graduate of Maui High School. Foundation Officer She earned her bachelor’s degree Jocelyn Romero Demirbag in Sociology from Loyola Marymount University Maui County Maui County staff: and her master’s degree in Leadership Council: Jocelyn Romero Demirbag Sociology from University Eugene Bal, III, Chair Foundation Officer of California at Berkeley. John C. Baldwin jdemirbag@hcf-hawaii.org Maggie Cole Jocelyn has an exemplary Ginger Gannon Patrick L. Ing track record as a nonprofit Sr. Foundation Assistant B. Martin Luna leader and, together with ggannon@hcf-hawaii.org Mino McLean HCF Senior Foundation Howard Nakamura Assistant Ginger Gannon, Lois E. Reiswig is pleased to serve the Leona Rocha Wilson people of Maui County. Sam S. Kadotani, Emeritus Member William C.N. Wong, Emeritus Member
Family Philanthropy is A Tradition for Many in Maui County In 1910, Henry Perrine Baldwin and Emily Alexander Baldwin formalized their lifelong history of philanthropy by establishing a facility to house Maui’s elderly residents. They also created the Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation to provide the home’s operating funds. Both the home and the foundation were dedicated to the memory of their son. When the home was closed during World War II, the assets of the foundation were committed to a charitable grantmaking program supporting projects and programs serving Maui County. Today, the Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation continues Henry and Emily’s dedication to the people of Maui – a dedication that has spanned generations. Hawai‘i Community
Foundation provides administrative support to the Baldwin Foundation. Recently, four families on Maui started their own legacies by creating funds at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. Similar to the Baldwins, their generosity will make a difference for island residents for many years to come. The Kent Smith Family created the Ian Doane Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund in honor of their son who passed away in an accident two years ago. The fund will provide two scholarships to high
Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation Trustees (left - right) Henry Rice, Wendy Rice Peterson, Shaun Lyons, John Baldwin and President Kristina Lyons. Missing: Mary Sanford, Elizabeth Norcross, Emily Young, Jeremy Baldwin and Claire Sanford.
school seniors who contribute to the community, excel academically and are interested in soccer and/or surfing. The Paul Mancini Family created the Elena Albano “Maka‘alohilohi” Scholarship Fund in memory of their ancestor. This scholarship is for students pursuing a traditional or vocational education program and who are in recovery from a mental health, behavioral or psychological disability, with preference given to Native Hawaiian students. The Jose L. Romero Memorial Fund was established as a donor advised fund by the Romero Family to support the perpetuation of musical performance and education. The fund honors the late doctor who was instrumental in keeping classical, orchestral music alive on Maui. The Snipes-Meyer-Vorhies Scholarship Fund was created by the Bill Snipes Family to support a nursing student at Maui Community College. Preference will be given to Native Hawaiian or indigent students.
About the organizations: KCAA serves almost 900 children annually at its seven nationally accredited preschools on O‘ahu.
caring for our community grants and special initiatives at work
2006 Ho‘okele recipients Roy Katsuda, Tin Myaing Thein, Christina Cox and Wally Lau.
Nonprofit leaders honored with Ho‘okele Five years ago, the Hawai‘i Community Foundation partnered with the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation to create the Ho‘okele Award. Since then, Ho‘okele has become a tradition with an impressive list of 21 alumni. The Ho‘okele Award was created to provide nonprofit leaders with the opportunity for personal renewal– something very rare and most likely unheard of within the nonprofit sector. Each recipient receives a grant award of $10,000 to be used specifically for either professional development or personal renewal. This year’s recipients are Christina Cox, president of KCAA Preschools of Hawai‘i; Wally Lau, executive director of Neighborhood Place of Kona; Roy Katsuda, executive director of Hale Mahaolu; and Dr. Tin Myaing Thein, executive director of the Pacific Gateway Center. For more than 30 years, Christina Cox has dedicated her career to the field of early childhood education, with the past six years at KCAA Preschools of Hawai‘i. Through her work at KCAA and her involvement with numerous groups and task forces, Christina is committed to ensuring that children from all socio-economic groups are given equal access to quality early learning opportunities.
Wally Lau has been a servant of his Hawai‘i Island community for 30 years. Using Hawaiian culture, values and practices, he has aimed to instill pride and hope to at-risk youth and their families. Under Wally’s guidance, the Neighborhood Place of Kona continues to assist nearly 250 families each year. Maui’s Roy Katsuda has worked most of his life to improve the lives of hard working people on his island. Known affectionately by his staff as “Mr. K,” Roy has transformed Hale Mahaolu from an organization that only provided affordable housing to low and moderate income families to tackling the issue of elderly housing on Maui. Today, Hale Mahaolu serves as a leading example of elderly housing systems in the state. Dr. Tin Myaing Thein’s passion for helping others stems from more than 25 years of experience in community and economic development. For the last nine years, she has used her knowledge and experience to move Hawai‘i’s Pacific Gateway Center into the future–expanding the nonprofit’s financial portfolio into a multimillion–dollar annual budget. It’s this type of perseverance and drive that enabled Dr. Myaing to oversee the Center’s 14 community-based programs that helps immigrants, refugees and low-income residents become self-sufficient.
For more information about this and other community building initiatives in which HCF is involved, please contact our Programs Department at (808) 537-6333.
Neighborhood Place of Kona is a community-based nonprofit organization that focuses on the well being of children and families in Kona, Kohala and Ka‘u¯on Hawai‘i Island. Hale Mahaolu is a nonprofit corporation on Maui that develops, owns and manages affordable housing rentals and operates other supportive related services. Pacific Gateway Center helps immigrants, refugees and lowincome residents of Hawai‘i build skills and gain access to opportunities that lead to selfsufficiency while still respecting diverse cultural heritages.
Copies of current and past issues of Faces of Philanthropy are available at www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org We encourage your comments and questions. Please contact our Communications Officer Kim Vierra at commofficer@hcf-hawaii.org or at (808) 566-5527.
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 800 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813 Phone: 808-537-6333 Toll-free: 1-888-731-3863