CHARITABLE COLLABORATION
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Goodwill Industries of Hawaii President and Chief Executive Officer Laura D. Roberson accepted a donation yesterday from Dennis Brown, president and CEO of Big Brothers and Sisters of Hawaii. The two nonprofits have formed a partnership to make the most of their resources.
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HAWAII
Crystal Cruises adds to 2004 Hawaii itinerary
Crystal Cruises will introduce three new 10-day Hawaii cruises next year, starting from Honolulu and going to Kauai, the Big Island, Christmas Island and Maui before returning to Honolulu.Crystal Cruises, owned by Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen Kaisha, will use its 50,000-ton, 940-passenger Crystal Harmony for the Hawaii cruises. The cruises are scheduled to begin Jan. 24, Feb. 3 and Feb. 13, 2004.
The voyages will be similar to those offered on a year-round schedule by Norwegian Cruise Lines. Both are foreign owned and must make a stop outside the United States if they are to start and end a voyage in a U.S. port.
Crystal Cruises uses Christmas Island, a territory of Australia, and Norwegian uses Fanning Island, in the Kiribati Republic.
The Crystal Harmony has one Hawaii visit scheduled for 2003, a March stopover on the way to Japan from Los Angeles. Through this year, Honolulu will host 113 foreign cruise ship arrivals, according to the state Harbors Division. Schedules for 2004 have not been posted.
PCC gets a facelift at 40
The Polynesian Cultural Center will spend more than $5 million on a series of improvements this year as the company celebrates its 40th anniversary.The company said it plans to upgrade its front entrance and landscaping leading up to the site. New displays will also be featured in a number of its exhibits and there will be several new additions, including a luau venue and a Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, exhibit.
Renovations are expected to be completed in April.
Kawamoto to keep rental houses
Japanese investor Gensiro Kawamoto said yesterday that he has stopped selling his Oahu homes, after having sold approximately 58 of his 160 homes last year.Kawamoto said he has learned there is a shortage of a rental homes on the island that he would like to alleviate. Some 70 of Kawamoto's homes are currently rented out, and Kawamoto said he promises to renovate the vacant remaining homes so they can be rented.
Several of Kawamoto's homes fell into disrepair after he bought them more than a decade ago, and Kawamoto and his former law firm traded jabs this week over responsibility for the upkeep. The tiff started when Kawamoto announced he had fired the law firm Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing. The firm, in response, said it quit.
Local firm courts Japan online
Local company Pacific Rim Marketing Group has expanded its Japanese-language visitor site to include online reservations and sales of travel-related products and services.The 1,800-page Web site, www.hawaii-arukikata.com, now offers online search and selection functions for nearly 2,500 tours and activities, accommodations and air ticket options for Hawaii that are available from major Japanese tour operators.
YWCA wins $40,000 in grants
The YWCA of Oahu has received $10,000 from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation's Sharing the Joys of the Holidays project and $15,000 from the Bank of Hawaii Foundation.The grants will support Dress for Success Honolulu, providing career attire and emotional support to women in transition. Clients are referred to the program by social service agencies, job placement organizations and job training programs.
The YWCA also received $14,750 from Hawaii Community Foundation's Organizational Capacity Building program. The grant supports "Communicating the Plan," a marketing and promotional plan that educates the community about the organization's services and opportunities.
