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Sports Dollars Aid Hawaii's Needy By:
Jane Shigizawa The holidays are when most of us focus on
giving: We might take a name off the “tree” at church to support a
needy family, drop off cookies for a neighbor, and of course, we hit the
crowded stores to find presents for our family and friends. But for
non-profit organizations, giving is an everyday occupation, something that
has to take priority year-round. Friends of Hawaii Charities is one of the
less “name-recognizable” entities, yet in just five years the group
has raised more than $3 million to help fund hundreds of programs that benefit women, children and youth. Friends of Hawaii Charities was formed in
1998 as the shared vision of a group of business and community leaders.
They decided to use their connections and management skills from the
business sector and turn that momentum towards volunteerism. Anthony
Guerrero Jr., executive vice president of the retail banking group at
First Hawaiian Bank, serves as president. “Once a person is in a leadership position
in the business community,” he explains, “you have a responsibility to
give back. And it’s not just those who can give money; you can also give
services. Many of our executives at this bank have multiple leadership
roles in charity positions. That’s our culture. It feels very
important.” Guerrero doesn’t fit the stereotype of a
pinstripe-clad, briefcase-toting banker. For one, he looks more like he
could easily get cast in the role of superhero. He has a powerful, deep,
gravelly voice, a clean-shaven head and intense eyes. He may have a fancy
office in downtown Honolulu with huge windows overlooking the ocean, but
he has never strayed from his hometown upbringing. A graduate of St. Louis
High School, he’s a passionate surfer who is a former president of the
Hawaii Surfing Association. Guerrero began surfing at Waikiki Beach when
he was 8. “I was a beach boy from the time I was 10 until I was about 18
or 19. I’m a surfer. I love my roots in Hawaii.” Guerrero has frequently used his business
skills and local connections to serve the interests of the community. He
works with the non-profit Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, the St.
Louis Education Foundation, Hawaii Community Foundations, the YMCA and
others. A sports fan, he’s also active with the Na Koa Football Club,
which gives support to the UH football team; the Ahahui Koa Anuenue (a
non-profit that supports UH’s athletic program) and the Aloha
Stadium’s Stadium Authority, which manages the use of that venue. “We founded FOHC for the sole purpose of
raising funds for children and women in need through managing sports and
cultural events,” explains Guerrero.
“Our philosophy is to use our skills to find sponsors for these
events.” The organization’s biggest fund-raising
event is the Sony Open in Hawaii, on the PGA Tour, which brings about 140
golf pros to Waialae Country Club, a par-70 course, each January. This
year, it runs from January 12-18. The purse is $4.8 million with the
champion taking home $864,000. The Sony Open has become one of Hawaii’s
biggest charitable events and has raised more than $3 million in the past
five years. In addition, last month and this month, many Oahu golf courses
participated or will participate in “Take a Swing at Crime,” a charity
event that benefits the Crimestoppers Honolulu organization in cooperation
with the FOHC. “We have 1,500 volunteers working on the
Sony Open,” says Guerrero. “People don’t realize how many volunteers
it takes to run it. Forty percent of the volunteers come in from the
mainland and make it their vacation to come and help out. The military
helps us out a lot too.” James Kometani serves as co-chairman of
events and pro relations. Part of his role is to ensure that there are
sufficient volunteers to support the tournament. “My group begins their
monthly planning meetings beginning in September of the preceding year’s
tournament and works until tournament week,” he explains. “We always
welcome new volunteers to assist us during the Sony Open. It’s been
gratifying to head the volunteers because they are totally committed. “The charity aspect of FOHC was the main
reason why I agreed to take the leadership role. Each year there is a
luncheon where the charities are honored. It’s gratifying to see their
appreciation and to learn about the non-profit groups that are helping
Hawaii’s families in need.” As the title sponsor of the event, Sony
underwrites the major costs of the tournament, a commitment that was
renewed for another four-year term beginning last year. The Harry &
Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the 100 largest charitable
foundations in the United States, serves as the official charity partner
for the Sony Open in Hawaii and matches the FOHC’s fund-raising
efforts each year. “Since Sony has become the underwriter of the
event, the level of the event has increased tenfold,” says Kometani. He
adds that the golf course and the sky-boxes have an improved quality that
has raised the level of this golf tournament. “Sony has been great,” agrees Guerrero.
“They could have done any golf tournament across the U.S. They would be
welcome from New York to California. They chose Hawaii because they feel
it is part of their culture. They have love and aloha for Hawaii.” This year’s Sony Open event is sure to be
watched closely, as Michelle Wie, a Punahou high school student whom many
see as the female Tiger Woods, has been granted a sponsor’s exemption to
play. Wie has played in seven LPGA events this year and is only the third
woman to play in a PGA Tour event. Last year’s tournament was also the
stuff of legend: Viewers watched as South Africa’s Ernie Els beat Aaron
Baddeley in a tense, two-hole playoff. His 43-foot birdie putt not only
won him the tournament but made him the first golfer in 14 years to
capture the first two PGA Tour events of the season. His $810,000 check
was impressive, but so is the $800,000 the event raised for Hawaii’s
charities. Another tournament key to FO-HC’s success
is the Turtle Bay Championship, held on the Palmer Course at the Turtle
Bay Resort on the North Shore in October of each year. “Through these events, we’ve given funds
to 150 charities in excess of three and a half million dollars,” says
Guerrero. “Ninety-nine percent of those are local. We give to small
charities such as HUGS as well as massive social organizations such as
Child and Family Service, which has 600 employees.” Hundreds of charities receive funds from
FOHC, but here’s just a smattering of names: Adult Friends for Youth,
American Diabetes Association, Bishop Museum, Hawaii Fido Service Dogs,
Hawaii Library Foundation, Hawaii Public Television Foundation, Honolulu
Academy of Arts, Honolulu Dance Theatre, Honolulu Zoological Society,
Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, Kahuku Hospital, Kauai Children’s
Discovery Museum, MADD - Hawaii Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and Public
Schools of Hawaii Foundation. Donna Witsell, executive director of HUGS
(Help, Understanding & Group Support), explains how FOHC assists her
foundation: “We help families with seriously ill children. We are a
home-grown, Hawaii-based organization with no chapters outside of the
state and receive no state or federal money. We have been recipients of
FOHC grants since 1999 and they have helped us fund several of our
programs, such as our emergency airfare assistance program, which provides
up to $2,000 per family per year so that parents can transport their ill
child to whatever medical facility is necessary. Most recently, FOHC funds
enabled HUGS to purchase a van.” With HUGS’s referrals growing 10 percent a
year and no public relations budget for drumming up fundraising, it’s a
challenge to accommodate all eligible families. “But by partnering with
FOHC,” says Witsell, “we are not only given a large donation each
year, we are able to expose our mission to others. And it offers us
credibility since we must meet the criteria set forth by FOHC,
showing the community that we are a viable and credible
non-profit.” Grants are given out each year to qualified
not-for-profit organizations. The application deadline for the 2004 grants
program is January 26. “We have a committee and screen the charities,”
says Guerrero. “We ask ourselves if the charity fits our mission. Is it
cultural, educational, social or basic programming? We give out funds once
a year, right after the Sony Open. We also follow up on the outcomes.
It’s not just ‘here’s a check.’ We want to make sure we’re
making a difference in our community.” “We’re looking for more events,” adds
Guerrero. “We’d like to get up to a million a year in donations.”
But not just any event will do; FOHC looks to produce events that will
build Hawaii’s reputation. For example, the Sony Open brings $25 million
to the state economy and the event is broadcast live on ESPN — in the
middle of winter, when the sunshine and greenery help inspire vacation
plans. “We also put together ad packages for the
Buffalo Big Board Surfing Championship, held on the west side of Oahu,”
says Guerrero. “That event is not televised live, but will be televised
in 70 different markets.” Guerrero also sees another challenge: “Our
community’s most pressing need is to get rid of ice,” he muses. “It
ruins every layer of the community. It’s a deadly problem, a cancer to
our ohana.” Whatever your cause, be passionate about it,
Guerrero says, it’s important to just get in there. “Let your heart
lead the way. Find a charity or a volunteer position that you want to do,
that you are interested in.” As Witsell points out, “charitable giving
is essential year-round because the need for assistance is not seasonal.
It’s important to realize that many of our neighbors need help.” Friends
of Hawaii Charities |
