On October 27, the staff of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation presented highlights of some of the projects that our members have made possible since March 2020 when HHF’s team started working from home in compliance with stay-at-home orders.  Guest speaker Jean Creadick, Vice President of Philanthropic Services and Trust Officer at First Hawaiian Bank, provided practical advice on current gift planning strategies in response to those members who are thinking of ways to provide future support.

If you were unable to join us, some of the positive outcomes that were shared are highlighted below. A pdf of Jean’s presentation is also available for your reference.

Outcomes Made Possible With Your Support

1. Grant Partnerships Preserve Historic Places

Kiersten Faulkner, Executive Director: As we look at long-term impacts on saving places, we wanted to share some examples both of special places that were saved through timely support and through helping to elevate public awareness and enthusiasm about cultural heritage.

The first example is the Palace Theater in Hilo. This project was supported by grants from both of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s grant programs. The Hilo Preservation and Beautification program provided funds for the exterior repairs, painting, awning and marquee sign. The Freeman Foundation program issued a challenge grant, so we would match additional funds up to $25,000. I was then contacted by another HHF member who said he would meet the challenge with a personal, anonymous donation. The Friends of the Palace Theater had other donors and supporters and the building is refreshed and ready for when group gatherings will be allowed again. It has air conditioning, sprinklers and fire safety systems on the interior and a refreshed and beautiful façade and sign that will be a catalyst for Hilo pride.

The second example is the Ford Island Tower. The Ops Building and Tower is very significant building within the Pearl Harbor National Historic Landmark and is part of the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum Campus. The grant funds have helped to restore several areas on this iconic building, including repairing and restoring windows and renovating the interior spaces to provide for offices, archival storage, public meeting rooms and education spaces. The Museum also raised funds to restore the Tower itself and recently finished the elevator, so visitors will be able to take in the panoramic view as they visualize the events of December 7, 1941 at that very spot.

These are just two examples from more than 50 projects over the past 8 years that our team has supported with technical assistance and preservation funding. It is made possible by the generous donations from the grant partners, as well as the annual support from members and contributors.

2. Adapting HHF’s Education and Programs

Andrea Nandoskar, Education and Programs Manager: One of HHF’s five core areas of focus is education. That is, building awareness, public support and understanding of Hawai‘i’s historic places and ways to preserve them. Within that sphere, we have been doing many activities. With the onset of Covid we had to be creative and turn to the virtual world. We took presentations and seminars online, pivoting to virtual experiences and engagement.

Beginning in April, we’ve presented 9 virtual events…An unexpected positive outcome that emerged out of the pandemic is our ability to share our programming more broadly both with our Neighbor Island and Mainland ‘ohana. More than 1400 people watched our virtual programming live with an additional 2200 plus views of the video replays on the HHF YouTube and Facebook pages. And these numbers continue to grow. We’re grateful for this opportunity to continue to engage the public in Hawai‘i’s history and heritage.

3. We Need Your Support

Beth Iwata and Michelle Kiczek: Thank you for allowing us to share these outcomes with you today. We’re grateful for our members’ support that has helped keep our organization afloat during this uncertain time.  Unfortunately, like many nonprofit organizations, over the past few months, HHF has experienced a downward trend in membership contributions, likely due to economic challenges at present.  Whereas normally we’d be able to engage with potential new members at in-person gatherings, it’s been challenging to do that virtually.

We have also had to make the difficult decision of cancelling our major fundraiser, the Kama‘āina of the Year benefit, due to the pandemic. In order to overcome the resulting shortfall in funding, we’ve reached out to past KOY sponsors and donors, asking for their continued support to what we’ve named the HHF Community Resilience Campaign. We’ve asked our board members to lead us in rallying this effort.

These are difficult times for everyone. If you’re able, please make a donation to help sustain our operations through 2021. Thank you.

Heritage, Legacy and Planned Giving

Jean Creadick, JD is Vice President of Philanthropic Services and Trust Officer for private foundations and other charitable trusts at First Hawaiian Bank.  Jean consults with donors to help create their charitable plans.

Jean is a graduate of the University of California San Diego and received her law degree from the University of San Diego Law School. She serves on the board of the Hawai‘i Gift Planning Council.

Here is the pdf of Jean’s presentation, Heritage, Legacy and Planned Giving.  If you have questions, please feel free to contact Jean at the number listed in the pdf.