ByKen Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Auto dealer Mike McKenna extended his "holiday spirit"
school-donation program to last all year. The schools
and his bottom line are better off.

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School Spirit

Mike McKenna's charity has roots
in a long-ago graduation-night accident

By Jerry Tune
Star-Bulletin

Hawaii schools have been reaping the benefits of a valuable lesson learned by Mike McKenna when he was a teenager.

This year, the Kailua auto dealer plans to continue his tradition of giving away cars to four Windward Oahu high schools to be raffled away at "Project Grad Night" festivities, which promote alcohol- and drug-free graduation celebrations.

McKenna, a cigar-chomping ex-Marine who enjoys driving his wide-track Hummer, said his motivation comes from an experience that he still remembers vividly.

At age 17 in Rhode Island, McKenna was a passenger in a graduation night car accident with eight people. "We had been drinking beer," he said.

"All of us were thrown out of the car and I ended up in a ditch. Only one of us was hospitalized, and nobody was killed but that sure shook us up."

So for the past five years, McKenna, 63, has given away a total of 12 cars at graduation night celebrations to four Windward high schools — Kahuku, Castle, Kalaheo and Kailua.

But to qualify for the "Project Grad Night" giveaway, each school must have 95 percent attendance at the supervised parties. Then one car, valued at about $12,000, is given to each of the schools, which raffles them off to students at the party.

For McKenna, who is often accompanied at his two dealerships by his dog, Hana Girl, and puppy, Koki, Hawaii's schools have become his pet project.

Last December, McKenna began his "Holiday Spirit" program, giving $100 to schools for every new Ford, Volkswagen, and Mazda car, truck or van sold at his two Kailua dealerships — Windward Ford and Windward Volkswagen/Mazda. When a customer buys a new vehicle, they get to pick which school gets a $100 check in their name.

"Customers were so pleased with the idea, and the schools were so appreciative that we decided to continue the program," said McKenna.

Now the program has reached more than $33,000. McKenna hopes to see the donations hit $100,000 by the end of the year. The money mostly has been used to make much-needed repairs, and to fund computer programs, he said.

While many other auto dealers are active in charity work, the focus on schools seems to have captured the public's attention. McKenna said the program has helped boost sales 18 percent this year.

"People have come from as far away as Ewa Beach to buy here, and I've sold a lot to teachers," said McKenna. "It's very interesting. All the customers have a school in mind to help."

Schools have sent many thank-you letters to McKenna and to hundreds of customers, he said.

Kalaheo High School received donations from 18 different customers. Their total of $1,800 in donations topped the list of 138 schools that have received checks so far. Kailua Elementary has received $1,200 and Kailua High School got $1,100.

"I haven't made a decision on how to use the funds, but possibly we would use them towards awards for students and staff," said Glenn Nakamoto, principal at Kalaheo High School.

The program is offered to all of Hawaii's 368 public and private grade schools, intermediate schools and high schools — on all islands.

And the "holiday spirit" program is gaining interest from other dealers in Hawaii, and on the mainland, McKenna said. "I got one call from a Ford agency in San Antonio."

McKenna said he plans to expand the program in June to Southern California where his son, Danny, operates three auto dealerships in Norwalk and Huntington Beach.

He is not certain what will happen in Hawaii after the program reaches $100,000. "Who knows, we may continue it forever," McKenna said.

The $100-a-car is not an insignificant amount, he added, "because sometimes you only have $400 or $500 profit in a car."