Hawaii Life Charitable Fund – What We Accomplished in 2019 and Are Striving for in 2020

Working to preserve Hawaii’s culture by supporting its people. That is the mission statement of the Hawai‘i Life Charitable Fund. I am honored to serve as the fund’s current chairperson.

As the Chair, I feel it is important not only to acknowledge where we have been but also where we are headed. So I thought it would be helpful to share our successes, as well as our plans for 2020.

In 2019, the Hawaii Life Charitable Fund disbursed $25,000.00 in Hawai‘i Love Grants and we also donated $2,750 to support local charities that are dear to the hearts of our agents working across the state. Agents can request donations up to $250 be made to organizations serving their communities.

We also raised $39,300 in donations, with over 114 agents donating, effectively achieving a 30.4 % participation rate from Hawai‘i Life agents across the state. This year, we are striving for at least a 50% participation rate from all Hawaii Life’s nearly 400 agents across Hawai‘i.

Me and Mealoha at 2018’s Worthshop 8 event, fundraising for the HLCF.

In 2019, the Hawaii Life Charitable Fund disbursed $25,000.00 in Hawai‘i Love Grants and we also donated $2,750 to support local charities that are dear to the hearts of our agents working across the state. Agents can request donations up to $250 be made to organizations serving their communities.

We also raised $39,300 in donations, with over 114 agents donating, effectively achieving a 30.4 % participation rate from Hawai‘i Life agents across the state. This year, we are striving for at least a 50% participation rate from all Hawaii Life’s nearly 400 agents across Hawai‘i.

Honoring an amazing woman, our past Chair, Mealoha Kraus.

With the sad loss of our past Chairperson Mealoha Kraus, we as a board wanted to do something to honor her memory and continue her legacy. We have renamed the People’s Choice Award, which was one of her ideas to bring awareness to the Hawai‘i Life Charitable Fund to the Mealoha Kraus People’s Choice Award.

We have also established a fund in her name which will be managed by her family. The Mealoha Kraus Legacy Fund is now up and running at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. Donations to the Mealoha Kraus Legacy Fund can be made online.

The HLCF giving focus in 2020 in Ocean Awareness.

What you can expect to see from us this year.

This year, we will be working hard to fundraise and engage both agents and clients, alike. Parties with a Purpose, Murder Mystery Dinners and Paint and Sip events are just some of the fundraising ideas we are working on. Make sure to watch the Hawai‘i Life Charitable Fund website or better yet, reach out to a local board member for more information about how you can get involved.

This year’s giving focus for the HLCF’s 2020 grant cycle is Ocean Awareness. We will be accepting grant applications through February 28th, 2020. If you are part of a 501(c) or know of one with an ocean-focused mission, please direct them to our website to apply for grant funding online. https://www.hawaiilife.com/company/hlcf-grant-application/

Looking forward to a great 2020!