As you know, for the past 65 years, the David Malo Awards Banquet has been the Rotary Club of West Honolulu’s “premier” event. This prestigious award honors someone of Hawaiian ancestry that has contributed to the perpetuation of the Hawaiian culture through arts, music, history, government, voyaging and exploration, sports, language, medicine and education. The David Malo Award Banquet for this year is currently in its planning phase.
This year, our 66th David Malo Award recipient is Mr. Imaikalani Kalahele. Mr. Kalahele is a Kanaka Maoli poet, artist, and musician whose work has appeared in various collections of Native Hawaiian literature. Some sources, such as the Library of Congress have even regarded Mr. Kalahele as a philosopher. Mr. Kalahele will be honored, at an award dinner/banquet at the Hale Koa Hotel on January 22, 2027.
Individuals desiring to attend the Banquet may register their attendance through the Club Runner portal which may be accessed through: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/7749/Events/david-malo-66th-banquet.
The cost to attend this event is $115.00 per person or $1150 if you are interested in purchasing a table of 10. Final RSVP is due on Friday, December 18, 2026. Please be sure to calendar this deadline and to register for your attendance ahead of the deadline.
Equally important is the planning of this event. We are looking for volunteers that would be interested in helping and serving on the David Malo Panning Committee. We meet once or twice per month on a Monday, via zoom at 5 PM. The meeting normally lasts not more than an hour. We encourage all new members to consider volunteering and learning about our David Malo and the annual Award in his name that we have made over the years in his honor.
We guarantee you, once you attend the award dinner / banquet you and your spouse will feel very proud to be a part the Rotary Club of West Honolulu. We are the only rotary club in Hawaii that puts on an event of this magnitude that honors someone of Hawaiian ancestry and we look forward to continuing this tradition in honor of the many Hawaiian men and women in our community.
Mahalo for your consideration. We look forward to having you serve on the committee and your attendance at the award dinner.
The West Honolulu Rotary Foundation was incorporated on May 16, 1983, as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
The original incorporators were members of the West Honolulu Rotary Club and included Past District Governors Albert Hastings (1965–66), Ralph Honda (1971–72), and Ronald Young (1990–91).
Albert Hastings made a significant philanthropic contribution of over $262,000 to establish a Restricted Endowment scholarship fund, now known as the Al Hastings Fund in Sept 1983.
And was specifically restricted for educational purposes and scholarships. The fund was structured as an endowment to provide permanent, long-term support for education and to ensure that the donor's intent would be preserved.
Lincoln Ishida drafted the original Charter of Incorporation and Bylaws, which were approved by the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) on May 16, 1983. The original Bylaws established two restricted endowment funds within the Foundation:
• The Al Hastings Restricted Endowment Fund – restricted exclusively for education and scholarships. • The David Malo Endowment Fund – restricted for its designated charitable purpose.
Ronald Young and Lincoln Ishida, the Foundation's original charter members and authors of its governing documents and preserving Donor Intent, remain active and have the most direct knowledge of the creation and intended purpose of these restricted funds.
WHRF board and committee members serve as fiduciaries and are required to manage these funds in compliance with:
• The Foundation's Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws; • Hawaii nonprofit law; • UPMIFA (Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act); and • IRS regulations governing 501(c)(3) organizations.
As fiduciaries, they are obligated to follow donor restrictions. The Al Hastings Restricted Endowment Fund was created solely to support education and scholarships and may not be used to fund other charitable projects.
Rotary International's October theme is Economic and Community Development. Our speaker for October 16, is Mustafa Shirzad. Mustafa is an Economist for the Hawai'i Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), where he works on developing the State's tourism demand and economic forecasting models. His broader work spans economic impact analysis and economic development, including published State reports on economic diversification, Hawaii's business climate, and the economic contributions of international students and high-technology grant programs. In his previous roles, he worked on fiscal policy and public financial management. Mustafa holds a master's in economics from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, specializing in causal inference and macro-econometrics.
Our Rotary Foundation works to strengthen local entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly women, in impoverished communities. The Rotary Foundation spent $9.2 million last year to grow local economies and reduce poverty.
Rotarians make amazing things happen, like: Breaking the cycle of poverty for women: Most of the women living in rural Guatemala do not have the collateral to get loans from regulated financial institutions. The Rotary Club of Guatemala de la Ermita helped 400 local women complete financial literacy courses so they could pool their money and fund their own microlending program.
Skills development, business training: In Esmeraldas, Ecuador, Rotary members helped grant more than 250 microloans and train more than 270 community members in sewing, baking, plumbing, microcredit, business management, and leadership.
Sustainable farming: In west Cameroon, soil erosion and loss of soil fertility have significantly reduced farmers’ harvests. Rotary members gave farmers the skills they needed to improve soil fertility, control soil erosion, and market their produce. The results: increased crop yields and profits.
Naomi Masuno
ph: 808-492-0126
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Our regular meetings are held at The Edge at 31 North Pauahi. We need a head count by Tuesday each week before the meeting, please sign up on the Google form CLICK HEREor via the emailed invite. Address : 31 North Pauahi Street, between Nuuanu and Smith, private room the the back, parking at Municipal lot at 1-35 N Beretania St. Payment by credit card only. If you didn't sign up, please join us and get your food upfront in the restaurant.
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