First Hawaiian Bank employees raise $873,987 for charity with annual Kōkua Mai campaign

First Hawaiian Bank today announced that bank employees and retirees have ushered in this year’s holiday giving season by contributing a donation of $873,987.53 to 36 charities in Hawai‘i, Guam, and Saipan as part of the bank’s annual Kōkua Mai employee giving campaign.

Through Kōkua Mai, employees support and contribute to causes and charities that are significant to them. Since its inception in 2007, FHB employees and retirees have donated over $12 million through the program, benefitting thousands of people who receive assistance from non-profit organizations.

This year, Kōkua Mai ran from Oct. 1-31. FHB employees remained committed to helping local nonprofit agencies, which struggled to keep up with community demands, particularly the needs of vulnerable kūpuna and keiki as well as the growing number of hungry families. Over the course of the month, 98% of the bank’s employees made financial donations to Kōkua Mai, which exceeded this year’s total contribution goal of $700,000. In addition, 242 leadership givers stepped forward with contributions of $1,000 or more.

“I’m humbled by the generosity and community support from our employees and retirees this year. As a bank that cares deeply for our community, it’s wonderful to see our contributions create impact, year after year, for such a broad range of nonprofit organizations and community groups who are dedicated to helping others in need,” said Bob Harrison, First Hawaiian Bank Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer.

The program is run completely by employees with the bank covering all program costs so that 100 percent of every employee contribution goes to their local charity of choice in the communities FHB serves. The program includes a variety of fun activities to encourage employees to support their favorite charities through shave ice sales, book sales, and online auctions. This year, Aloha United Way was the top recipient, receiving $228,030, followed by Hawai‘i Foodbank, which received $71,528 and Hawaiʻi Children’s Cancer Foundation, which received $53,687.  

In 2024, Kōkua Mai benefited the following organizations that focus on health, education, self-sufficiency and life-sustaining services:

1. American Red Cross, Hawaiʻi, Guam & Northern Mariana Islands Chapters
2. Aloha Harvest
3. Aloha United Way
4. Ayuda Foundation
5. Big Brothers, Big Sisters Hawaiʻi
6. Blood Bank of Hawaiʻi
7. Boys and Girls Club of Hawaiʻi
8. Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi
9. Child and Family Service
10. Domestic Violence Action Center
11. Easter Seals Hawaiʻi
12. Family Programs Hawaiʻi
13. Goodwill Industries of Hawaiʻi, Inc.
14. Hale Makua Health Services
15. Hawaiʻi Children’s Cancer Foundation
16. Hawaiʻi Foodbank
17. Hawaiʻi Island United Way
18. Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation
19. HUGS (Help, Understanding and Group Support)
20. Imua Family Services
21. Kamaʻāina Kids
22. Kauaʻi Hospice
23. Kauaʻi United Way
24. Keiki Circles of Love Hawaiʻi
25. Make-A-Wish Hawaiʻi, Guam, and Saipan
26. Maui Foodbank
27. Maui United Way
28. Pālama Settlement
29. Partners in Development
30. Pali Momi Women’s Center (Breast Cancer Prevention and Treatment)
31. Public Schools of Hawaii Foundation
32. Salvation Army Hawaiʻi, Guam, and Saipan Corps
33. Special Olympics Hawaiʻi, Inc.
34. Teach for America
35. Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center
36. YWCA – Oʻahu

Other ways First Hawaiian Bank and its employees gave back to the community in 2024:

• First Hawaiian Bank partnered with Hawaii Theatre to host free community events supporting Chinatown businesses affected by power outages in the summer of 2024.
• First Hawaiian Bank received a 3:1 matching grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines for its $250,000 donation to Hawaii Community Lending, generating a total of $1 million in relief funding for homeowners impacted by the Maui Wildfires. The donation to Hawai‘i Community Lending, in partnership with Holomua Collective and Hawai‘i Community Foundation, will be used to provide Lahaina homeowners impacted by the fires with much-needed support to stabilize their mortgage payments and navigate insurance reimbursements while they work towards rebuilding. The donation is in addition to the nearly $1 million the bank has already provided through its philanthropic efforts supporting the Maui community.
• Caring is a core value at FHB and hundreds of employees demonstrate they care by serving on non-profit boards throughout the community and by volunteering their personal time on the weekends through the bank’s Community Care program, in which employees support non-profits through community activities like assisting families through the Maui Foodbank, HUGS and Special Olympics.