Kahului School among 106 A&B Grant Recipients on Maui

By Wendy Osher

The Alexander & Baldwin Foundation gifted an estimated $435,000 to 106 Maui charities in 2010.  The funds were part of a larger $1.6 million contribution to non-profit organizations across the state and the U.S. Mainland.  Maui received more than any other island in the state, ahead of Oahu, which received $370,000, Kauai’s $75,000 and the Big Island’s $32,000.

Kahului School was among the recipients of grant funding from the A&B Foundation to help recoup damages from a fire in April 2010. File Photo by Wendy Osher.

One of the larger grants, in the amount of $25,000 was issued to Kahului School to recoup losses from an April 2010 fire that destroyed three classrooms and caused an estimated $500,000 in damages.

Other notable Maui grant recipients were:

• Maui County high schools: $16,800 to support athletic programs.
• Malama Kahalawai: $10,000 to improve fencing at the West Maui Watershed.
• Community Work Day Maui: $5,000 to sponsor the Great American Cleanup.
• Hawaiian Kamalii: $3,000 to support summer enrichment and youth leadership programs.
• All Pono: $2,500 to conduct a Positive Coaching Alliance training for volunteers.
• Maui AIDS Foundation: $2,500 for upgrades to computer equipment and programs.
• Book Trust Hawaii: $2,500 for elementary literacy programs.
• Parents & Children Together: $2,000 for operations of the Maui Family Peace Center
• Akaula School: $1,000 for support of the Molokai private middle school.

A&B’s charitable resources and donations increased due to the company’s improved performance in 2010.  A&B employees, directors and retirees served in volunteer leadership positions in more than 80 of the charities supported by the foundation, including 21 on Maui.

“A&B actively supports this involvement, believing that the future of our communities is rooted in the action of individuals,” said A&B Foundation President Meredith J. Ching.

*** File Video below of Kahului School Fire originally posted on May 21, 2010.

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