LIHUE — Members of the Kauai High School Foundation Founders’ Society returned to their alma mater Friday to praise, applause and thanks. The members have contributed $148,000 to KHS. “The Founders Society has set the bar for giving back,” said
LIHUE — Members of the Kauai High School Foundation Founders’ Society returned to their alma mater Friday to praise, applause and thanks.
The members have contributed $148,000 to KHS.
“The Founders Society has set the bar for giving back,” said Kauai County Council member JoAnn Yukimura as she presented a proclamation to the society before hundreds of students in the gymnasium.
She said the group’s generosity and example “will enable Kauai High School to continue to support and challenge its students to be the best they can be in the Kauai High School tradition of excellence and service.
“These members, if you look at their lives and career, their achievements are incredible,” Yukimura said.
Gary Yamamoto, president of the KHS Founders’ Society, was grateful for the recognition of the society.
Money donated to the KHS Foundation goes to school programs and projects, one of which is the new technology center under construction.
The ceremony included a presentation from KHS alumnus Milton Valera, a 1960 KHS grad who spoke to juniors and seniors about his struggles and accomplishments as a journalist.
“You all have so much more to offer, I feel,” Valera said. “You’re much more advanced and intuitive in technologies of today. You seem so ready to take on the world and I’m truly optimistic about your future.”
The ceremony was also held as a continuation of the school’s 100-year anniversary on Sept. 14, 2014, when the Founder’s Society presented a bronze plaque, which contains names of its members.
The proclamation will be framed next to the plaque in the school’s administration building.
“I’m very thankful and appreciative of the alumni foundation starting in 2008 to provide resources for the schools,” said Bill Arakaki, Kauai schools superintendent. “To organize themselves and to provide the amount of funding for the schools is amazing.”
The Founder’s Society was established on April 10, 2010 by the KHS Foundation in anticipation of the school’s 100-year anniversary. The organization supports philanthropic goals, projects and programs at KHS.
