Hawaii
Here’s What Happened To Jeff Bezos’ $100 Million Pledge Toward Hawaii’s Recovery
The Amazon founder made a very public commitment to help rebuild Maui after the August wildfires. Here’s the progress since then.
Last August, days after wind-propelled wildfires destroyed whole neighborhoods and killed 100 people on the Hawaiian island of Maui, billionaire Jeff Bezos’ fiancé Lauren Sánchez announced that the couple was launching a $100 million fund for Maui wildfire relief.
“Jeff and I are heartbroken by what’s happening on Maui. …The immediate needs are important, and so is the longer term rebuilding that will have to happen–even after much of the attention has subsided,” Sánchez wrote in a post on Instagram. The couple know the island well; Bezos has a home on Maui to the south of where the fires hit.
But in the months that followed the tragic fires, details about the distribution of that $100 million fund were nonexistent. Until now.
Neal Karlinsky, a spokesperson for Bezos, told Forbes that nine Hawaii-based charities have been given a total of $15.5 million from the Bezos Maui Fund, including the Boys and Girls Club of Maui and the Maui Food Bank.
Marlene Rice, development director at the Maui Food Bank, would not disclose the amount that her organization received. But she said via email that “The Maui Food Bank has enjoyed a long-standing partnership with Jeff Bezos in helping the hungry in Maui County. We are extremely grateful to him and Lauren Sanchez … Their most recent generous gift …[is] allowing us to provide essential support to the community during these challenging times.”
The other recipients to date are the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, Maui Humane Society, Lele Aloha and Hawaii Green Growth, both environmental protection and rehabilitation nonprofits; the Haleakala Watershed Restoration Partnership, which works to restore dryland forests on Maui; the Kahalawai Watershed Partnership, which helps protect Hawaii’s natural waterways; and the East Maui Watershed Partnership, a forest preservation organization.
The Maui Humane Society, Hawaii Green Growth, and Kahalawai Watershed Partnership confirmed that they received donations, but did not disclose the amount they received.
Bezos’ spokesperson Karlinsky declined to reveal how much each charity received. More funding will be distributed, Karlinsky clarified: “As the original announcement made clear, the $100 million will be gifted over the coming years as the continuing needs reveal themselves.”
Bezos, who is currently the third richest person in the world worth about $192 billion, owns a home on an estimated 14 acres of land on Maui worth $78 million. He also lent his helicopter to the Maui fire department, which it used to shuttle workers to affected areas where land and sea access was unfeasible. “The Maui Fire Department would like to express a big mahalo to Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez for their extremely generous offer to use their helicopter since August 13th,” the Maui Fire Department said in an Instagram post in September.
Bezos is one of several billionaires and celebrities who donated millions to aid the fire recovery efforts. Oprah Winfrey, also a Maui property owner, donated $10 million to the Peoples Fund of Maui, which she set up with actor Dwayne Johnson.
Bezos’ biggest philanthropic commitment is the Bezos Earth Fund, a $10 billion pledge over a decade with the goal of driving climate solutions. He announced the fund in early 2020 and to date the Earth Fund made a total of $1.85 billion in grants. Bezos also supports tuition-free preschools for low-income families through Bezos Academies; the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund gives to groups that help homeless families find a permanent home and services. His charitable donations to date make him one of the biggest philanthropists in the U.S., per Forbes’ new list of America’s Biggest Givers. But his charitable giving as a percent of his net worth is still in the low single digits.
Hawaii
Three Arrested For Cockfighting In Hawaiian Paradise Park
(BIVN) – Three people have been arrested for their alleged participation in a cockfighting event in Puna this weekend.
Police say they executed a search warrant on a residence on 18th Avenue in Hawaiian Paradise Park on Saturday afternoon, where over 100 people were estimated in attendance at a cockfighting event.
Law enforcement recovered “25 dead birds, 4 injured birds, cock fighting paraphernalia, to include gambling records, and a small amount of marijuana.” $20,000 in in US currency was also seized.
The warrant was executed by members of the Hawaiʻi Police Department’s Area I Vice Section, who were assisted by members of the Criminal Investigation Section, Puna Patrol, and Homeland Security Task Force Officers.
A woman and two men were arrested.
Lehualani K. Kaleiwahea, 49-years-old, of Hilo, for:
- Twenty-nine (29) counts of second-degree Cruelty to Animals
- One count of first-degree Promoting Gambling
- One count of first-degree Possession of Gambling Records
- One count of second-degree Promoting Gambling
Isaac Dylan H. Ragasa-Kaleiwahea, 28-years-old, of Keaau, for:
- Twenty-nine (29) counts of second-degree Cruelty to Animals
- One count of first-degree Promoting Gambling
- One count of first-degree Possession of Gambling Records
- One count of second-degree Promoting Gambling
Domonick Uchima, 37-years-old, of Keaau, for:
- One count of second-degree Promoting Gambling
Police say all three individuals were released pending further investigation.
From the Hawaiʻi Police Department:
The investigation into this operation and its organizers is ongoing at this time. Police ask that anyone who has information about the event to please contact Detective Scotty Aloy of the Area I Vice Section at (808) 961-2207 or by email at Scotty.Aloy@hawaiicounty.gov
The Hawai‘i Police Department is committed to working cooperatively with the community to improve the quality of life of island residents, and provide a safer environment for everyone. Police encourage residents to report suspicious and illegal activity to the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
Hawaii
Act fast: Earn the Southwest Companion Pass by flying to Hawaii – The Points Guy
Southwest Airlines is celebrating five years of service in Hawaii with a special promotion: Rapid Rewards members can now earn a valuable Companion Pass by taking just one round-trip flight to Hawaii this summer.
To qualify, you must:
- Be a Rapid Rewards member (you can create an account for free).
- Register for the promotion and purchase qualifying revenue travel (one round-trip or two one-way qualifying flights between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii) by Friday. You can pay for your flight(s) using cash or Southwest’s new Cash + Points option, but flights booked solely with points will not qualify.
- Fly between June 1 and July 3. To qualify, flights must be flown by the same member.
You can choose from five airports in Hawaii that Southwest serves:
- Hilo International Airport (ITO), island of Hawaii
- Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole (KOA), island of Hawaii
- Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), Oahu
- Kahului Airport (OGG), Maui
- Lihue Airport (LIH), Kauai
After meeting the criteria — and unwinding on a Hawaiian beach — you’ll receive a promotional Companion Pass valid from Oct. 5 to Nov. 15.
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How to quickly earn the Southwest Companion Pass
Southwest’s Companion Pass is popular among travelers because it lets you bring one person on every trip for next to nothing — you just have to pay taxes and fees (starting at $5.60 one-way). This applies to both paid and award tickets to anywhere Southwest services, including the U.S., Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. You can bring your companion along on as many trips as you want for the life of the pass.
To take advantage of your Companion Pass, first designate a companion in your Rapid Rewards account. Then, after booking your own flight using cash, points or both, go to the My Trips section of your account and follow the steps to book your companion’s ticket.
Note that you can only change your designated Southwest companion up to three times per calendar year.
Normally, you must fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year to earn a Companion Pass. The pass is valid for the remainder of the year in which you earned it, plus the following full calendar year.
But there are ways to snag a Companion Pass faster. Southwest occasionally runs promotions like this one, allowing even the most casual Southwest flyers to earn a Companion Pass that’s valid for a shorter length of time. We’ve also seen cobranded Southwest credit cards offer limited-time Companion Passes.
With the current Hawaii promotion, now is a great time to plan a getaway to the Aloha State — and earn a Companion Pass to save on travel this fall.
Related reading:
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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