40th Annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk This Saturday

Maui Hotel and Lodging Association Charity Walk 2016. Courtesy file photo.

The Maui Hotel & Lodging Association is celebrating 40 years of giving back to the community with its annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk this Saturday, May 12 at the War Memorial Soccer Field.

Last year over 3,000 walkers gathered for the event. In 2017, an impressive total of $1.2 million was raised for Maui County, benefiting 117 Maui County charities.

Maui continues to raise more dollars per capita than any other island.

Organizers say the Charity Walk emphasizes and validates the Visitor Industry’s commitment to the community.

The Charity Walk is one of the largest single-day fundraising events in Hawaiʻi.

Since the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association started hosting the event in 1980, Maui County has raised a cumulative total of more than $10.4 million, benefitting hundreds of non-profit organizations on Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi. And most importantly, all of the funds raised on Maui, remains in Maui County to benefit the local community and its residents.

The annual Charity Walk is the Visitor Industry’s way of giving back to the community. Many MHLA property and business members work year round to raise funds for this worthy endeavor.

MHLA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1987 to advocate for the Visitor Industry. The organization also provides educational opportunities via the Academy of Hospitality & Tourism and scholarships for UH Maui College students; and benefits the community via the annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk, Excellence in Education golf tournament and Kupuna Dinner.