WAIMEA — Volunteer vacationing has been a trend the past few years at a variety of destinations for individual travelers and convention goers. Hawaii Island was one of such location last week.
On Tuesday, 300 Foresters Financial employees helped Waimea Elementary School (WES) students, teachers and staff with a campus beautification project as part of their four-day convention on the Kohala Coast. The international financial services provider has more than three million clients and members in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The volunteers take part regularly in “Delivering the Difference,” the company’s program that aims to improve the quality of life in communities where they hold conventions.
“The Foresters mission of improving the well-being of families and communities is the foundation of our ‘Delivering the Difference’ program,” Blake Moore said, president, North American Asset Management, Foresters Financial. “Our sales professionals are provided with a rewarding opportunity to contribute to something that will serve the local community long after we leave.”
Students and the visitors participated in multiple campus improvements including cleaning the playing field, refurbishing roofing on the school’s outdoor kitchen and helping paint a mural designed by students and staff. They also built cornhole and connect four games and new playground equipment.
“This remarkable project will not only provide our students much-needed school improvements, but also demonstrate for them the positive impact of community service and teamwork,” WES Principal Scott Tamura said.
The event concluded with a ceremony on the field late Tuesday morning, where hundreds of WES students said “mahalo” in unison thanking the visitors for their help.