[ TODAY ]
COURTESY EMPIRE DESIGN
FUBU executives J. Alexander Martin, left, Daymond John, Carl Brown and Keith Perrin, agreed to host the charity bowl. Martin and Perrin will attend tonight.
Food, fashion and FUBU
unite for common good
It's not often that celebrities and the homeless find common ground, but when the First Annual Celebrity Charity Bowl Party takes place tonight at Pipeline Cafe, organizer David Hadaway hopes the event will bring together both communities, if not in the same room, then in the spirit of a shared goal.
As he explains it, proceeds from the party will benefit the local chapter of the worldwide Food for Life volunteer organization, which feeds the homeless in Ala Moana Beach Park three times a week.
Celebrity Charity Bowl
For Food for Life HawaiiParty tonight: 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Where: Pipeline Cafe, 805 Pohukaina St.
Admission: $20, 21 and over
Call: 589-1999
"Food for Life has been in existence since 1977, but this is the first time that they've tried to raise money outside of their circle," explains Hadaway, whose primary enterprise, Phat Flava Entertainment, offered to help raise funds for the charity operation.
"Their supply truck is an old truck, their kitchen needs to be restored and they need to buy food and prepare food, so we thought it would be a tremendous opportunity to get together."
"We've served tens of thousands of homeless people since the program began," adds Brian Zoerheide, financial director of Food for Life Hawaii. "We're very pleased someone took notice of our work."
Although a concert promoter by trade, Hadaway, through his music contacts in Los Angeles and New York City, recently reached out to multimillion dollar hip-hop clothing company FUBU with an interesting proposition. "I went to New York to see them in person and visited their office in the Empire State Building and basically asked them to look at the tremendous business opportunities for young entrepreneurs here," remarks Hadaway, who expressed to company heads that for an internationally recognized brand like FUBU, an untapped outlet like Hawaii could serve as a gateway to the lucrative Asian market.
He convinced FUBU co-founders Keith Perrin and J. Alexander Martin to fly out to Honolulu to host the event, conduct a FUBU model search and look into the opportunities the islands might offer their famous brand. Hadaway is also rolling out the red carpet for a group of NFL football stars that are here for the Pro Bowl festivities that includes St. Louis School product and Tennessee quarterback Jason Gesser, San Diego defensive tackle Joe Salave'a and Baltimore free safety Gary Baxter.
Phat Flava is providing free food, while the Hypersquad Dancers and several DJs will keep the crowd entertained. There will also be a display of top-of-the-line vehicles outfitted with $100,000 audio systems from Auto Source to gawk at.
Though most attendees will be lured by the bright lights and celebrity hobnobbing, Hadaway believes it's an effective way to bring attention to a dire issue.
"My mom raised me to be conscious of other people," reveals Hadaway. "Even though she didn't have a lot, she always shared things out of the goodness of her heart. If she saw someone that needed a helping hand, she would help them. I always thought I wouldn't be able to help people on this level until I became wealthy, but when I looked at this (Food for Life) situation, I said 'Well, this is something I can do even if I'm not a millionaire.' "
"I've had hard times when I wasn't able to afford to feed my family when I lost my job," remembers Zoerheide. "There were different organizations that reached out and helped me and I remember how important it was to get a meal. Even if someone lost their job, just having a hard time or is a substance abuser, everyone is entitled to at least have some food."
With a marked increase in the homeless situation, Zoerheide says a three-days-a-week project is simply not sufficient. The Food for Life van, which was purchased in 1990, is showing signs of wear and supplies are in great demand. "We need the community's help. I know this event will be big and I'm hoping more people will dig deep and help this program grow."
Click for online
calendars and events.
