HONOLULU - Hawaiian Airlines' community outreach group, Team Kokua, and partners have been working with interested Hawaii public school principals on projects to freshen up their campuses and prepare for the new school year. The Kokua Our Schools program will continue after the 2020-21 school year begins.
Three campus projects have been completed at Kaelepulu Elementary in Enchanted Lake, Waimea Canyon Middle on Kauai, and Haleiwa Elementary on Oahu's North Shore. The projects included landscaping work, classroom prep, student device cleaning and set-up, painting and mural installations. Two more projects are planned in July at Maunawili Elementary and King Kamehameha III Elementary in Lahaina.
The work has been supported with donations of supplies from City Mill Co., Ltd. and the labor, talent and expertise of POW! WOW! Hawaii, local artists, and teams of Hawaiian Airlines employees who live in these communities. School staff guided and participated in the work.
'Our state and our business have been hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the resiliency and community spirit of our employees through Team Kokua demonstrate again that they are our greatest asset. They just get it done,' said Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter Ingram. 'Schools are a vital support to our working families and we're happy to do what we can to help bring them back.'
'Hawaiian Airlines has been a valuable partner to the Department during this global health crisis and a tremendous supporter of our school communities. The time and resources donated by the company and its employees will have a lasting impact on our students, faculty and staff. We appreciate their willingness to give even as they dealt with the personal and professional impacts of this situation,' added Hawaii Department of Education (DOE) Superintendent Dr. Christina Kishimoto.
The initiative came together in the spring after school campuses were closed during the early days of the pandemic and the state's 'safer at home' orders, when students and teachers began distance learning after spring break. Many Hawaiian Airlines employees were on voluntary furlough due to a significantly decreased flying schedule and the company sought opportunities to extend more kokua into its communities. In addition to working with Lanakila Meals on Wheels and the Hawaii Foodbank, an offer to help the schools was presented to Hawaii DOE leadership, who shared it with principals.
For the three projects completed thus far, Team Kokua brought 221 volunteers who provided 1,064 hours of assistance, along with 55 hours provided by local artists.
City Mill Co., Ltd. donated $2,500 in supplies including paint, brushes and rollers, drop cloths, buckets and more. Hawaiian Airlines employees also donated an estimated $2,000 in paint and supplies to support the work.
A specially designed aloha mural was installed at Kaelepulu by POW! WOW! Hawaii Director of Operations Jeff Gress and Co-Founder Kamea Hadar, with assistance from Alana Wilson. At Haleiwa Elementary, artists Jack Soren, Mark Visaya and Gary Fisher provided whimsical mauka-to-makai designs on student bathroom entrances. Two more POW! WOW! aloha murals are planned for King Kamehameha III Elementary and Maunawili Elementary.
To participate in the Kokua Our Schools program, principals are encouraged to contact Dolly Wong in the DOE Community Engagement Branch.
About Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com. Follow Hawaiian's Twitter updates (HawaiianAir), become a fan on Facebook (Hawaiian Airlines), and follow us on Instagram (hawaiianairlines). For career postings and updates, follow Hawaiian's LinkedIn page. For media inquiries, please visit Hawaiian Airlines' online newsroom.
Learn more about its community partners: City Mill, POW! WOW! Hawai?i, and Jack Soren.
About the Hawaii Department of Education
Hawaii's public school system was founded on Oct. 15, 1840 by King Kamehameha III. It is the oldest public school system west of the Mississippi. Its 293 schools (256 public, 37 charter) belong to one state-wide public school district with 15 regional Complex Areas. Learn more at HawaiiPublicSchools.org.
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