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UH Alumni in Hong Kong Raise 30,000HD in Support of Flood Relief at Hamilton Library

Funds Raised During Reunion Dinner of 130 Alumni in Hong Kong

(Honolulu, Hawaiʻi) - More than 130 University of Hawaiʻi alumni gathered for a reunion dinner in Hong Kong during which more than 30,000HD (approximately $4,000) was donated in support of flood relief efforts for Hamilton Library at UH Mānoa.

This heartfelt, grassroots effort will directly impact hundreds of students and faculty who walk through our doors daily and many others throughout the entire community who rely on UH Hamilton as an invaluable resource, said UH Mānoa University Librarian Diane Perushek.

The reunion dinner, which was held at the Harbor View International House, started as a group of 30 alumni and quickly grew to over 130, once news of the destructive flood spread and that the event was going to serve as a catalyst for raising money in support of flood relief. Several alumni came from as far away as Macau, a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. In addition to outright gifts from alumni, funds were raised through the sale of UH souvenir pins and through a variety of games in which alumni donated funds to participate. Many alumni in the area could not attend the dinner, but extended their support anyway by mailing in their donations.

It is so very heartwarming to receive such a show of support from alumni as far away as Hong Kong, said June Naughton, retired director of International Student Services at UH Mānoa. Many of our international alumni remain connected to the university and frequently reflect on many wonderful memories of their UH experience many of those memories, I’m sure, were formed right on the steps of Hamilton Library.

Our alumni group in Hong Kong is one of our most active international alumni groups. This gift further demonstrates their enthusiasm and commitment to the University of Hawaiʻi, said Kevin Takamori, associate vice president for the Office of Alumni Relations at the UH Foundation. The alumni chapter of the School of Travel Industry Management will be hosting an alumni reception in Hong Kong this June, and UH Interim President David McClain, UH Mānoa Chancellor Peter Englert and others are looking forward to meeting our alumni there in person.

Commented Albert Cam, an alumnus in Hong Kong who was in Hawaiʻi to present the donation on behalf of UH alumni in Hong Kong, Although what we collected was not much compared to the losses that the library has suffered, we know that we have a group of alumni in Hong Kong who treasure the days that they spent in Hawaiʻi and care so much about what is happening at the university.

About the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation
The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is an independent, university-related, nonprofit organization whose purpose is to raise private funds according to priorities determined by the academic leadership of the University of Hawaiʻi and approved by the Board of Regents. Founded in 1955, the Foundation provides a full range of fund raising and alumni relations services for all 10 UH campuses. For more information on the Foundation, visit www.uhf.hawaii.edu.