As students across Hawaii prepared to return to the classroom, HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union partnered with Palama Settlement in Kalihi to help local keiki and families start the new school year with the tools they need to learn and thrive.
Through the partnership, HawaiiUSA invested more than $9,000 to provide 250 backpacks filled with essential school supplies, including pens, pencils, crayons, paper and other classroom necessities. The backpacks were distributed to students and families through Palama Settlement’s Back-to-School Backpack Giveaway.
Preparing for a new school year can bring added expenses for many families. Providing students with basic classroom essentials can help ease some of that burden while giving keiki the confidence of walking into class ready to participate and learn.
For HawaiiUSA’s Melissa Leu, who helped organize the effort, the giveaway was also a reflection of the credit union’s Life Matters commitment and the power of community partnerships.
“One of the things I appreciate most at HawaiiUSA is living our Life Matters commitment. These backpacks are a reminder that our community comes together to support one another. I’m blessed that HawaiiUSA invests in our future leaders and partners with incredible organizations like Palama Settlement,” said Leu, Business Relationship Officer at HawaiiUSA.
Palama Settlement has served generations of Hawaii families through educational, recreational and community programs. Their partnership reflects the credit union’s longstanding connection to education. By working together, HawaiiUSA and Palama Settlement are helping ensure more students have what they need to begin the school year on a positive note.
