Aloha United Way Funding to Benefit Local Nonprofits

From left to right: Dr. Ginny Pressler, Cindy Adams, Ryan Kusumoto, Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui. Courtesy photo.

By Maui Now Staff

Aloha United Way has allocated $3.6 million dollars in community impact funding to 45 local nonprofits organizations in the areas of education, poverty prevention and safety net.

AUW impact funding has increased by 90 percent since 2011.

The announcement was made today at a press conference hosted in partnership with Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui and the state Department of Health at the executive chambers of the Hawaiʻi State Capitol.

“The state of Hawaiʻi recognizes Aloha United Way for their vital role in effectively mobilizing our community to influence positive change,” said Tsutsui. “Our keiki represent the future of our state, and Aloha United Way’s community impact funding will directly help to ensure the health and well-being of our youth.”

Over 45 nonprofit organizations with 69 programs will receive the funding over a three-year period starting this year. Early childhood development, a major focus for the state, represents a core area in education that will receive funding within the first year.

“Recent research confirms that the first five years of a child’s life are fundamentally important for the development of a child’s brain; early experiences provide the base for the brain’s functioning throughout life and shape future health and success in school, at home, at work, and in the community,” said Dr. Ginny Pressler, MD, MBA, FACS, director of the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health. “Thanks to Aloha United Way’s important financial support, programs that offer free early childhood development screenings will receive funding to help detect early warning signs of developmental and behavioral challenges in our most underserved communities.”

Nonprofit organizations such as Parent and Children Together provide children with an opportunity to receive early childhood developmental screenings, including social-emotional developmental, hearing and vision screenings, and programs that help increase child readiness for school.

“This year marks Aloha United Way’s fourth consecutive year of increases in community impact funding, which will provide critical funding to some of our community’s most serious problems,” said Cindy Adams, president and CEO of Aloha United Way. “This major financial donation for our community demonstrates how working together elevates our ability to create a stronger, healthier Hawaiʻi. We are truly grateful to our donors who make this funding possible year after year.”

AUW’s community impact funding is directly supported by donations through the organization’s annual fundraising campaigns. AUW, which offers a safe and open donation process, is currently gearing up for its annual general campaign, which begins in August.

For more information about Aloha United Way, go online.