Hawaii State FCU Awards $40,000 in Grants to Teachers

Hawaii State Federal Credit Union (Hawaii State FCU) has funded classroom needs for a record 79 public school teachers on Hawai‘i Island, O‘ahu, Maui, Kaua‘i and Lana‘i through the 2018 Investing in Education grant program. In celebration of the program’s 10th anniversary, the credit union awarded nearly $40,000 in grants this year, doubling its annual $20,000 grant award.

PC: Hawaii State FCU

The Investing in Education grant program supports Hawai‘i public school teachers by providing up to $500 for educational resources and classroom activities. The educators, who teach a range of subjects in elementary, middle and high school, were selected based on essay submissions detailing their classroom needs.

This year’s educators continued to incorporate STEM-related lessons into their curriculum, requesting funds for kits to teach coding, build robots and create solar-powered cars. Other teachers focused on developing post-graduation pathways for their students with career and technical education supplies as well as field trips to tour university campuses. The grants also funded classroom materials ranging from basic books and art supplies to innovative tools such as interactive notebooks, smart boards and iPads.

“Over the past decade, our Investing in Education program has grown to support the needs of our educators on nearly every island in Hawai‘i,” said Andrew Rosen, president and CEO of Hawaii State FCU. “This year, we’re proud to double our investment and award even more public school teachers with grants that help them create innovative learning environments for our keiki.”

Since 2009, Hawaii State FCU has funded the classroom needs of 512 grant recipients, with more
than $236,684 awarded to support Hawai‘i’s teachers. Hawaii State FCU also invests in higher
education; its Lowell Kalapa Scholarship Program has awarded more than $609,000 over the past
22 years to help students attend universities, colleges and trade schools in Hawai‘i and on the
mainland.