American Savings Bank donates $10,000 for Maui school playground project

HONOLULU, HAWAII, August, 2016—American Savings Bank (ASB) has provided a $10,000 grant to the Sacred Hearts School of Maui to help build a new playground. For more than 150 years Sacred Hearts has provided a Catholic-based education for Maui preschool through eighth grade students. To support gaps in their operating budget, the school holds fundraising campaigns throughout the year. The $10,000 grant provided by ASB will support the purchase of new play structures and adequate safety surfacing for the playground area. ASB provided the lead major gift in the school’s campaign for the new playground.

“We are so very grateful for the generosity of American Savings Bank and their leadership in stepping forward to help our community,” said Becky Spitznagel, Principal, Sacred Hearts School of Maui. “We are a hardworking school and more than 40 percent of our students receive financial aid. Every family contributes a minimum of 28 hours a year to support our mission, but without the support of partners like ASB, we simply would not be able to make this capital project happen.”

“The continued support of American Savings Bank throughout the years has been amazing,” said Yvette Richard, Sacred Hearts Development Director. “It is great to have strong Hawaii based businesses who care so much about the future of our kids”.

Since 2010 ASB has been providing financial and volunteer support to Hawaii’s schools through its Bank for Education program. In 2014 Sacred Hearts received their first Bank for Education grant, which they used to make improvements to the Mother Marianne Cope School Hall. As a Bank for Education school, Sacred Hearts is eligible for additional grants and volunteer support from ASB.

“For more than 30 years ASB has been supporting the dreams of the businesses and residents of Maui. Our teammates on Maui include moms and dads who want the best for their keiki. We are proud that through our Bank for Education program we are able to support the great work of Hawaii’s schools and help students realize their dreams,” said Richard Wacker, President and CEO, American Savings Bank.

In 2015 ASB launched a business plan competition for Hawaii’s elementary through high school students called the KeikiCo Contest. KeikiCo is held biennially, and has become the cornerstone of ASB’s Bank for Education program. The other key components of Bank for Education include financial literacy workshops, volunteer support, scholarships, internships and the ability to apply for grant awards in non-competition years. ASB also sponsors a statewide school supply drive to provide Hawaii’s students with free school supplies. Since 2010 ASB has granted more than $1 million to Hawaii’s public and private schools through its Bank for Education program.

Fundraising for Sacred Hearts’ playground project is ongoing with construction for the playground planned for the fourth quarter of 2016. Members of the Maui community who would like to contribute should contact Yvette Richard, yrichard@shsmaui.org.