Maui Jim CEO, Walter Hester (r), presents a check to the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.
LAHAINA, Maui—Hawaiian sunglass company Maui Jim announced its recent donations to community charities in Maui, Hawaii and Peoria, Ill. where the company facilities are located.

Focusing on local charities in Hawaii, the company made a total of more than $260,000 dollars in donations including $150,000 to Hale Makua Helath Services, a compassionate care and skilled nursing center for the elderly; $50,000 to Imua Family Services, an organization assisting families facing challenges pertaining to their child’s development, behavior or disability; $20,000 to Women Helping Women Maui, providing assistance and support for female victims of domestic violence; and $40,000 to the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, a multidisciplinary 12-acre complex that includes a performing arts center, visual arts gallery and community gathering space.

Additionally, the company supports causes in proximity to its administrative and manufacturing operations located in Peoria, Ill., where it holds an annual golf event that has raised more than $2.5 million for the Children’s Home Association of Illinois, organizes the Makamaka Run/Walk benefiting the Friendship House in Peoria, and hosts the “Dive for Cover” event each February, which invites employees of Maui Jim and other area companies to “leap into the company’s frigid sunglasses-shaped pond to raise more than $500,000 to help the South Side Mission meet the needs of the homeless,” the company said.

The next “Dive for Cover” event will be held on Feb. 28, 2014 at 2 p.m. C.T. at the Maui Jim offices at 1 Aloha Lane, Peoria, Ill.


Maui Jim president, Mike Dalton (l) and CEO, Walter Hester (r) present a check to Women Helping Women Maui.
The company’s charitable initiatives “come from employees who identify areas where Maui Jim can have true impact,” which, over the company’s 30-year history, has included “cures for breast cancer, support for children with autism and major initiatives that protect the world’s oceans,” said Maui Jim.

“We are a company that got its start on the beaches of Maui,” said Walter Hester, CEO. “Even though it is one of the most beautiful places on earth, there are many people who need help and support. This is our way of helping to take care of the community that has taken such good care of us through the years.”