HONOLULU – The Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association (HLTA) kicked-off its statewide fundraising effort with the 37th Annual Charity Walk last Saturday, May 2 on Lanai and Molokai, attracting 270 participants who raised a combined total of $38,839 for on-island charities.
CHARITY: LANA’I STYLE – Walkers on Lanai enjoy a leisurely stroll with family and friends at the 37th annual statewide Charity Walk. The walk started at Four Seasons Resort Lanai’s Lodge at Koele, and ended at Lanai Senior Center. Click to enlarge. (Photo courtesy The Lanai Times)
If you’re trying to do the math, that’s a very impressive average of $143.88 raised by each and every participant on Lana’i and Moloka’i.
Lanai’s one-mile walk drew 172 walkers, raising a total $23,483. Participants enjoyed local food, activities such as tie-dye t-shirt making, and door prizes during and after the walk, which started at the Four Seasons Lanai’s Lodge at Koele and finished at the Lanai Senior Center.
On Molokai, more than 100 walkers came out raising $15,356 in their show of support as they strolled from Hotel Molokai to Kaunakakai Elementary School and back to Hotel Molokai. At the end of the walk, more than 100 door prizes were given out and bento boxes were sold to raise additional funds.
The Maui and Hawaii Island Charity Walks will be held on Saturday, May 9, and the Kauai and Oahu walks will be held on Saturday, May 16. For more information, visit charitywalkhawaii.org.
The 37th annual Charity Walk is one of the largest fundraisers in the state, providing a wonderful opportunity for Hawaii’s visitor industry to collectively give back to its local communities. All monies raised on each island stays on their respective island to benefit its charity organizations. Charity Walk is sponsored by HLTA along with individual lodging and travel partners and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
HLTA is a statewide organization representing hotels, condominiums, timeshares, and other lodging and visitor industry entities. HLTA is dedicated to government advocacy, raising awareness on its contributions to statewide communities, and educating and supporting Hawaii’s lodging industry through membership benefits.