MEO named winner of The Founders’ Award by SAX and $20,000 gift

Maui Economic Opportunity earned The Founders’ Award from the advisory, audit and accounting firm SAX. The first place finish came with a $20,000 gift, according to the announcement, made on Thursday.

“SAX is a champion of nonprofits, and The Founders’ Award is a vehicle in which we can honor the values of our Founders by empowering and supporting those organizations in ways that ensure their continued existence and positive impact on our world,” SAX said on its website.

The theme for the 2025 award was “perseverance” and “doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.” Each applicant had to produce a video of no more than 5 minutes covering how perseverance is engrained in the organization’s mission, sharing a major challenge and how the organization overcame it, and planning to sustain and grow despite obstacles like funding or policy changes.

A total of 75 nonprofit finalists from across the nation were in the running for the top prizes. First place was a $20,000 unrestricted gift;second place, a Mission Moment standalone video provided by Beard and Bowler Productions; and third place, a $5,000 unrestricted gift, courtesy of Valley Bank.

MEO CEO Debbie Cabebe flew to Northern New Jersey to hear the announcement and to receive the award. Honorees over the past three years included The Brooklyn Debate League, which provides affordable access to coaching and competitions for all students looking for quality speech and debate programming; Family Promise of Morris County, N.J., operating a homeless shelter; and Popcorn for the People, a popcorn business with factories in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that employs individuals with autism and developmental disabilities.

“MEO is so thankful to SAX for this national honor and the award,” said Cabebe. “I met the leaders of so many other worthy nonprofits at the awards ceremony.

“As MEO celebrates its 60^th anniversary this year, perseverance is ingrained in our agency and the staff. These are uncertain times for nonprofits like MEO so the generous gift will be put to filling the gaps and shortfalls as we pursue our mission of ‘helping people in need restore their hope, empowering them to reach their potential and enrich their lives.’ ”

MEO Chief Administrative Officer Maggie Batangan produced MEO’s video, which was shown at the awards ceremony. The video generally described MEO’s programs and role in the community and outlined the agency’s ability to stand-up programs quickly in times of disasters, like the 2023 wildfires and COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We highlighted MEO’s flexibility, ability to pivot quickly to changing times and circumstances, fiscal integrity and outcome-oriented performance measures,” said Batangan. “Greatful beyond measure for SAX’s recognition, generosity and honor. 

“But beyond that, SAX provided affirmation that the work MEO does in the community is Helping People, Changing Lives.”

MEO is a Community Action Partnership agency, one of a thousand nationwide born of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty in the 1960s. Beginning with two programs in 1965, MEO currently operates more than 30 diverse programs on Maui, encompassing Hana, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi, including transportation; preschool and early childhood learning; youth substance abuse, bullying and suicide prevention; business planning and financial literacy classes, microloans and credit counseling; and housing, employment and energy support.

The agency continues to offer assistance to wildfire survivors. For more information about MEO programs, go to www.meoinc.org or call 808-249-2990.