The start of the year is the best time to think about giving back. How will your generosity have an impact in 2025? Here are a few of our local favorites, maximizing impact in diverse ways. We highly recommend them.
Hawaii Fitness Foundation
Hawaii Fitness Foundation (HFF) is a nonprofit organization that uplifts Hawai’i’s first responders and underserved communities through specialized fitness and wellness programs. Operating under the fiscal sponsorship of Players Philanthropy Fund — a 501(c)(3) public charity — HFF delivers critical performance training and holistic health initiatives that foster strength, resilience, and well-being across the Hawaiian Islands.
First responders — including police officers, SRT (Special Response Teams), firefighters, and emergency personnel — play an essential role in keeping our communities safe. HFF recognizes their work's physical and mental demands and aims to provide the tools they need to maintain peak performance and readiness. Through training sessions and community events like the Hawai’i First Responder Invitational and UpHill Battle, HFF creates a supportive environment that prioritizes fitness, camaraderie, and personal growth.
At the heart of HFF’s mission is a commitment to fostering resilience and vitality. By promoting a comprehensive approach to health, the foundation empowers participants to surpass their limits, inspiring personal and professional excellence. Their vision extends beyond fitness; it’s about building a culture of support and respect where first responders and youth come together to create stronger, healthier communities.
“We are honored to serve Hawaii’s heroes and invest in the well-being of those who dedicate their lives to serving us,” says the Hawaii Fitness Foundation team. “Our programs are designed not only to strengthen bodies but to build connections, confidence, and a foundation of lifelong health.”
With each session, event, and rep, the Hawai’i Fitness Foundation takes a step toward a unified, resilient future. Their work ensures that the strength of Hawai’i’s first responders reflects the strength of the communities they serve — one heartbeat at a time.
For more information, visit HIFirstResponder.com/hawaii-fitness-foundation
Daniel R. Sayre Foundation
In August 1997, a tragedy befell the Sayre family when their 25-year-old son, Dan, fell 500 feet to his death while hiking the cliff trail to the back of Pololū Valley at the North end of the island. As he was alone when he fell, his family never learned exactly what happened.
The next day, his parents watched for 10 hours as the Rescue Team from the Waiakea Station of the Hawai’i Fire Department (HFD) risked their lives to recover Daniel’s body. “We felt strongly that these heroes should be acknowledged publicly. Since there was no existing mechanism to do that, we started with an annual awards dinner. We later learned that the Search and Rescue Division was underfunded and lacked essential equipment,” says Laura Sayre, Daniel’s mother. There was very little funding for equipment and advanced training as 94% of the Fire Department’s budget had to go to personnel costs.
At that point, the mission shifted to fundraising to help the HFD get what it needed. A few years later, when the Ocean Safety Officers were transferred from Parks & Recreation to the HFD, their total annual budget for equipment, supplies and uniforms was $2,200.00. The foundation raised funds for rescue boards, ATV’s, binoculars, P. A. systems, jet skis and more.
Because of the generosity of our Big Island Community, this 501(c)(3) non-profit has made great advancements over the past 27 years. What started with ropes, pulleys and scuba gear, has become 16 bushfire trucks, 12 sets of Jaws of Life, a new fire engine truck and an Airbus H-125 aeromedical helicopter.
While the Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation has raised over $40 million during its time, the needs are still present. If you want to “help those who help all of us,” you can send a tax-deductible donation to the Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation, PO Box 1285, Kailua-Kona, HI, 96745. Mahalo piha.
To explore other ways to support, visit DanielSayreFoundation.org.
Donkey Mill Art Center
For nearly 30 years, the Donkey Mill Art Center has been a place where mo‘olelo — stories, traditions, and histories — are shared. Through these, Big Island Residents connect to the past, gain insight into who they are, and envision the future they hope to build together.
Artists play an integral role within our community, promoting their work as vital components of the creative ecosystem. Without them, the essence of what defines a community could be lost.
Recent collaborations have invited youth into the gallery to engage in thoughtful conversations with artists and participate in hands-on art activities that fulfill a critical need for arts education in Kona, where access to galleries and museums is limited. This opportunity allows youth to see themselves represented, gain new artistic skills, and discover that their voices and stories matter.
The Donkey Mill Art Center is also a place to explore arts and culture to inform, inspire, and strengthen individual and collective well-being. Its 2.6-acre campus includes studios for youth education, printmaking, ceramics, metals, fiber arts, native plant gardens and exhibition space.
Constructed in 1954 on the slopes of Hualālai, the Donkey Mill Art Center was the first coffee cooperative in Kona. In 2001, volunteers and artists transformed the old mill into classrooms, a gallery, and gathering spaces while maintaining its rustic charm. This transformation expanded the Mill's role beyond coffee processing to become a vibrant space for artistic expression, cultural exchange, and community building.
Discover more and support at DonkeyMillArtCenter.org.
WeGo! Foundation
The WeGo! Foundation seeks to connect to at-risk and underserved kids in our community to help them to go places and keep them off the streets. The goal is to let youth know their current situation does not have to be the trajectory of their life.
The foundation supports kids through the power of sports. It focuses on soccer, futsal, and the Hawaiian cultural sports of paddling, surfing, and swimming. Athletics is a tool to teach life lessons and help build the character of the leaders that we need tomorrow.
The core belief of the WeGo! Foundation fuels its commitment to encouraging and inspiring kids to reach their full potential. If given the right tools, guidance, and support, every kid can be successful and make a positive difference.
From the beginning, God had a plan that only came to fruition in June 2020 during the global pandemic. The need was significant, and there was no better time. The purpose of serving these kids runs very personally for Thibert and Rebekah Lussiaa.
Thibert came from a very difficult childhood and used outrigger paddling to help him have a positive outlet. Rebekah played competitive sports, but her family didn’t have a way to help her take it to the next level.
“We both have been very involved in this community in one way or another for a very long time, but we have always wanted to start our own non-profit organization,” shares Thibert.
Many people want to give back to the Kona community, but they want to do it through people they trust. Thibert and Rebekah are grateful for this opportunity to show these kids that they matter and that someone truly cares for them. It is our basic human kuleana. Most of the time, the little things make the most significant difference.
Learn more at WeGoFoundation.com or on their Instagram @WeGoFoundation.inc