Major sections of Radford High School and Kapolei Middle School got fresh coats of paint as beneficiaries of a $50,000 grant from Target store. The grant was made to Hawaii 3Rs (Repair, Remodel and Restore Hawaii's public schools) with the agreement that volunteers provide the labor or “;sweat equity”; to paint the buildings. The state Department of Education estimated that it would have cost more than $500,000 to do the same job.

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First Hawaiian Bank employees raised more than $580,000 for 36 agencies in Hawaii, Guam and Saipan in 2008 during its annual Kokua Mai giving program. The Salvation Army received $20,875 of the sum. HUGS (Help, Understanding & Group Support) will receive $18,044 for programs that support families with children suffering from a critical illness.

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The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Hawaii, whose mission is to grant the wishes of Hawaii children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions, received awards from the Schuler Family Foundation, $15,000; the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, $7,260; James Haruji Tamura & Fumiko Tamura Foundation, $6,000; Hawaii Hotel Industry Foundation, $4,250; NFL Charities, $3,000, and Webco Foundation, $2,500.

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The Aloha United Way was one of 93 UW branches in the nation to receive unsolicited $15,000 grants from the Wal-Mart Foundation. The donation was based in part on AUW's successful Earned Income Tax credit and free tax assistance campaigns, which helped almost 8,000 families receive more than $6 million in refunds in Hawaii.