The Honolulu Board of Realtors recently awarded a $10,000 grant to the Friends of the Library of Hawai'i in an effort to keep local libraries open. The Friends of the Library of Hawai'i is soliciting donations to help overcome $3 million in budget cuts affecting operations at public libraries throughout the state.

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GIRL HELPS RAISE $3,162 FOR NEEDY FAMILIES

Ten-year-old Amber Aduja, a Käne'ohe resident and National American Miss Queen 2010, recently coordinated two fundraiser fishnet drives in Windward City. The drives earned a total of $3,162, which will be sent to the Lokahi Giving Project to benefit needy families.

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ALUMNI DONATE $6,000 TO KALANI HIGH

Leonard Hoshijo and other alumni from Kalani High School's Class of 1969 presented a check for $6,000 to Kalani High principal Gerald Teramae on Tuesday. The money was raised at the class' 40th reunion through donations, raffle drawings and silent auction sales to assist Kalani with its One-to-One Computing Program.

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HOLIDAY CARDS SENT TO SERVICEMEMBERS

As part of their Holiday Mail For Heroes program, the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes sent holiday cards from the public to members of the military and their families in the United States and abroad. The cards were sorted, packaged and delivered to wounded service members at military bases, veteran's hospitals and military hospitals.

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O‘AHU TEEN GETS FREE EYE OPERATION

Eyesight Hawaii and Bausch & Lomb recently teamed up to save the eyesight of O'ahu teen Kingston Fereti, whose eye was severly injured in an accident at school in April. Eyesight Hawaii doctors John Olkowski and Elise Louie donated their services and operated on Fereti, implanting a state-of-the-art intraocular lens called Crystalens that was donated by Bausch & Lomb.

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WESTIN KA‘ANAPALI EMPLOYEES AID NEEDY

Over the holidays, the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas and employees donated gifts to needy Maui families through the Lokahi Giving Project and international calling phone cards to the Hawaii Army National Guard (Maui Unit), and villa owners and guests helped to contribute 2,000 pounds of food items and canned goods for the Maui Food Bank.

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