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BANK OF HAWAIʻI MAKES $150,000 LEADERSHIP GIFT TO SUPPORT ʻIMILOA ASTRONOMY CENTER
(Hilo, Hawaiʻi) —
The
ʻImiloa Astronomy Center has re-named its
Museum Store the Bank of Hawai
ʻi Museum Store to
recognize a generous, leadership gift of $150,000 from the Bank of
Hawai
ʻi Charitable Foundation.
Announcement of the unrestricted gift to support the Center’s educational mission, and the
unveiling of the new plaque in the
ʻImiloa
atrium recognizing the gift, was made at a reception
at the Center on Friday, April 27 attended by over 120 community and business leaders.
"The Bank of Hawai
ʻi and its
Charitable Foundation are committed to education and we’re a hundred
percent behind the Center’s mission to help inspire and educate new generations of youth to pursue
an interest in science," said Bank of
Hawai
ʻi Chairman and CEO Al Landon.
"And, as a partner, we also appreciate the Center’s role in enhancing the economy of the Big Island
and the state," said Mr. Landon.
Donna Tanoue, Bank of Hawai
ʻi Vice Chairman and President of its Charitable Foundation, said that the
bank was pleased to "support the Center’s mission to bridge astronomy with the rich traditions of
Hawai
ʻian culture to inspire and educate."
This is a significant first major gift from Bank of
Hawai
ʻi,
noted
ʻImiloa Executive Director Peter B.
Giles, who said that
ʻImiloa has just kicked off
a new Business Partnership program to engage business
support and engagement in the Center’s educational mission. The gift presentation, a private affair,
was followed the next day with a Bank of Hawai
ʻi
Family Saturday at the Center, attracting over 550 visitors.
ʻImiloa Astronomy Center is open to the
public Tuesdays through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the
ʻImiloa
Cafe is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Opened just over a year ago,
ʻImiloa is noted for its
stunning architecture, its state-of-the-art planetarium (the largest in the State), and exhibits which
celebrate Hawai
ʻian culture and Maunakea astronomy.
It has a unique 3-D theater showcasing data from the
Subaru Telescope about deep space, and a "Science on a Sphere" globe from National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration that enables viewers to see Earth and other planets "in-the-round."
The Center is located at 600
ʻImiloa Place in
Hilo, on the UH-Hilo Science and Technology Park off
Komohana Street, and Nowelo Street, and left onto Imiloa Place. For map and directions, plus more
information about
ʻImiloa Astronomy Center,
go to
www.imiloahawaii.org.
Bank of Hawaiʻi presents $150,000 check to ʻImiloa Astronomy Center.
Left to right are: Dr. Marlene Hapai, former executive director of ʻImiloa and UH Regent;
Art Taniguchi, Vice-President of East Hawaiʻi Region at Bank of Hawaiʻi; Roberta Chu, Hawaiʻi
Island Manager and Senior Vice President at Bank of Hawaiʻi; Al Landon, Bank of Hawaiʻi Chairman and
CEO; Peter B. Giles, ʻImiloa Executive Director; Rose Tseng, Chancellor, UH-Hilo; Mayor Harry Kim;
Donna Tanoue, Bank of Hawaiʻi Vice Chairman and President of the Bank of Hawaiʻi Charitable Foundation;
and Wayne Hamano, Bank of Hawaiʻi Senior Executive Vice-President of Corporate Banking.