The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)-Aloha Chapter will honor the recipients of the 2009 National Philanthropy Day (NPD) Awards for the State of Hawai'i during its 18th annual conference and awards luncheon on Friday, November 20, beginning at noon at the Sheraton Waikīkī Hotel's Kaua'i/Maui Ballroom. The awards recognize the outstanding achievements of philanthropists, volunteers, corporations and small businesses whose contributions have made a significant impact in the State of Hawai'i.

Outstanding Philanthropists: General (Ret.) Fred and Mary Weyand were selected for their more than 30 years of enormous financial support and the significant amount of their volunteer time to local, national and international causes.

Over the years, the Weyands have been extraordinary supporters of Hawai'i Theatre Center—both served on the Board of Directors and their contributions to restore and operate the theatre total more than $718,000.

The Weyand's dedication to local nonprofits goes far beyond the Hawai'i Theatre Center and includes the Hawaiian Humane Society, Rotary Club of Honolulu, American Red Cross, East-West Center, and Hawai'i Army Museum.

The rare blend of talents, experience, and skills of these two individuals combined with their caring and generous natures make them the epitome of philanthropy in our community. The Weyands were nominated by the Hawai'i Theatre Center.

Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser: Edith Leong has more than 50 years of combined volunteer leadership service at three organizations that have greatly benefited from her service: The Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific Foundation, St. Louis School and the Augustine Educational Foundation.

Mrs. Leong has served continuously on the board of the REHAB Foundation since 1990 where she has led many fundraising efforts and also provided significant financial support. On the St. Louis School Board of Trustees for 20 years, she was selected a Lifetime Emeritus Trustee.

One of the initial board members of the Augustine Educational Foundation, Mrs. Leong served for more than a decade during which her leadership helped the Foundation achieve its $6 million fundraising goal for the Education 2002 campaign. The Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific Foundation nominated Mrs. Leong.

Outstanding Corporation: In the past year alone, HONBLUE has been an integral partner with more than 30 Hawai'i nonprofit organizations—providing support through cash contributions and in-kind services. HONBLUE employees contribute consulting time, marketing materials, concept design and printing labor to improve and sustain agencies that promote the well-being of children and youth, health awareness, education, arts and culture, among other services.

The company recently spearheaded implementation of an effective on-line donation system to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Honolulu that has already increased their donor base by 1,500 individuals. In addition, nearly 90% of HONBLUE's 130 employees personally participate in community giving—one example of which is employees collection in 2008 of more than 22,000 pounds of food for the Hawai'i Foodbank (about 3.5% of the total canned-food collection on O'ahu). HONBLUE, Inc. was nominated by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Honolulu.

Outstanding Small Business: Believing that small businesses have a responsibility to give back to the communities in which they do business,

Service Rentals has donated thousands of dollars worth of equipment usage to Maui Arts & Cultural Center, enabling the Center to put on some of the largest live performances on Maui. Without Service Rentals, MACC would have difficulty achieving its mission to bring the best performing arts to Maui. In addition, Service Rentals is a loyal supporter of the American Cancer Society, A Keiki's Dream, Maui Hotel & Lodging Association's annual "Excellence in Education" fundraiser, and the American Breast Cancer Foundation.

Service Rentals encourages its 62 employees to participate in the community which they do through their churches, hula halau, Boy Scouts, community sports activities and more. Service Rentals & Supplies was nominated by Maui Arts & Culture Center.

Outstanding Professional Fundraiser: Sarah Richards has held several titles in her career—Dean, Director, President—however none of these job titles have included the words development or fundraising.

As Dean of Student Services at Chaminade University, Director of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Executive Director and President of Hawai'i Theatre Center, she has lead fundraising efforts to build dorms and create scholarships, to establish a folk arts and humanities program in Hawai'i, and to save and restore the historic Hawai'i Theatre in downtown Honolulu.

Additionally, she has left an indelible mark on Hawai'i's nonprofit community through voluntary service in organizations such as the Hawai'i Planned Giving Council, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Hawai'i Opera Theatre, Honolulu Culture and Arts District, among many more. Ms. Richards was nominated by the Honolulu Culture and Arts District.

President's Award: The award is presented to Barry and Virginia Weinman in recognition of their extraordinary volunteer leadership and personal philanthropic investments that were key to the successful completion of the historic Centennial Campaign for the University of Hawai'i. The seven-year campaign raised $336 million in outright gifts and bequest intentions from more than 90,000 donors and is the largest fundraising campaign to date in the state of Hawai'i. Mr. Weinman chaired the Campaign and Mrs. Weinman chaired the Campaign Cabinet, and in those roles, they led Centennial Campaign special events and programs throughout Hawai'i, the Mainland and Asia.

The Weinman's have personally invested more than $5 million in the university—including creating four-year medical school scholarships for 10 local students who intend to remain in the islands and practice medicine after graduation. Mr. Weinman has served for more than 9 years on the UH Foundation Board of Trustees and now chairs the board. He has also led the UH Foundation's Investment Committee and serves on UH Manoa's Prioritization Committee.

2009 Volunteers in Philanthropy Recognized

Each year, local nonprofit organizations honor their distinguished volunteers during the Volunteers in Philanthropy (VIP) recognition at the NPD Awards Luncheon. Volunteers are often the hard-working, behind-the-scenes cheerleaders at local nonprofits who make not only ensure the success of fundraising events and efforts, but also play a vital role each day in helping these nonprofits serve their constituency and achieve their mission.

Nonprofits wanting more information on the VIP program and how to honor their own VIPs at this year's NPD Awards Luncheon should contact Cathy Abbott at cathy.abbott@cancer.org or contact the AFP Aloha Chapter at 626-6755.

Henk B. Rogers, President & CEO of Blue Planet Software, will give the Keynote Address at the 2009 National Philanthropy Day, "Energizing Our Communities." Henk Rogers is a visionary entrepreneur, entertainment genius, and philanthropist dedicated to social change. He is responsible for bringing the video game, Tetris, to the United States and world market and under Mr. Rogers' direct leadership, Tetris has become one of the world's top-selling games with more than 125 million copies sold.

He clearly saw the future of mobile gaming, and through Blue Lava Wireless, Tetris has dominated the mobile phones gaming market as well. A life-changing heart attack in 2005 gave Mr. Rogers the opportunity to rethink the rest of his life and reevaluate the purpose of his life's work. He became determined to end the use of carbon-based fuel on the planet, starting with fossil fuel use in Hawai'i, his adopted home. To fulfill his mission, he established Blue Planet Foundation, which has become the frontline organization in the fight for indigenous renewable energy in Hawai'i. Henk Rogers will captivate his audience and leave them inspired to conquer their own challenges head on.