Support the Y
Heritage Club
Heritage Club
Recognizing Legacy Gifts to the YMCA
The Heritage Club, established in 1987, is an organization of men and women committed to ensuring the continued influence of the YMCA on future generations of youth and families via gifts to the YMCA Endowment.
Individuals and couples may qualify to become members of the Heritage Club in one or more of the following ways:
- Naming the YMCA as a beneficiary in a will or living trust
- Creating a charitable remainder trust, pooled income fund, or life estate gift to benefit the YMCA
- Naming the YMCA as a beneficiary of a new or existing life insurance policy
- Establishing a named fund within the YMCA Endowment via an outright gift of money, securities, property, or other marketable assets
- Download our brochure on how to become a Heritage Club member here and learn more about ways to make a planned gift here.
Gifts and commitments may be directed to benefit the overall work of the YMCA or can be designated to support a particular YMCA branch or program. It is the commitment, rather than the amount, that is the overriding factor in qualifying for membership in the Heritage Club.
If you are interested in joining the Heritage Club of the YMCA of Honolulu, please contact Kerri Van Duyne, Vice President of Development, at 808-541-5473 or by email at kvanduyne@ymcahonolulu.org.
Kawaharada Family: Honoring a Legacy and Investing in the Future
Committed to the mission of the Atherton YMCA, Michael Kawaharada has been a supporter of the Y since the 1960s. As a UH student, he was pivotal in the creation of the student-led structure of its board and is still an active community board member today. This past month, Michael and his wife Gail chose to deepen their commitment to the legacy of the Y, Michael’s mother Matsuko Kawaharada, and future students by establishing the Michael & Gail Kawaharada and Matsuko Kawaharada Family Endowment Fund.
The Kawaharada family strongly believes in education, the arts and helping others. These values were instilled into the children by the matriarch of the family, Matsuko Kawaharada, who was a remarkable woman ahead of her time. She passed along to her children her lifelong values and passions for healthy living, hard work, strength, resilience, gratitude, love of knowledge and travel.
This fund was established as a tribute to her and will support the Atherton Branch in the education and development of future servant leaders. The Fund will give youth the opportunity for international and mainland service trips, for programs that teach disadvantaged youth how to apply to college, while emphasizing a healthy, values-driven life and to help youth develop in the arts. The Kawaharada family’s hope is that these youth grow and develop into well-rounded individuals able to contribute to their communities.
For more information about establishing a named endowed fund, please contact Kerri Van Duyne, Vice President of Development at 808-541-5473 or kvanduyne@ymcahonolulu.org.