Heart Ball Raises $1.4 Million for Health Equity in Hawaii

Heart Ball Raises $1.4 Million for Health Equity in Hawaii

Heart Ball suppoters wearing tuxedos and dresses sit at round tables with heart shaped auction paddles in a hotel ballroom bathed in red light.
Honolulu donors - including some of Matson's customers - turned out to support American Heart Association community programs at the Hawaii Chapter's Centennial Heart Ball, chaired by Matson.

The American Heart Association (AHA) is celebrating its centennial this year – 100 years of saving lives and promoting healthier living. So, when it came time for the Hawaii chapter to decide who to ask to chair the “Heart Ball” – the chapter’s long-running annual fundraiser and one of the biggest social events of the year in Honolulu – they wanted an equally historic and iconic organization in Hawaii.

Matson had the honor of chairing this year’s event, which was held on February 17 at the ‘Alohilani Waikiki Resort, with nearly 400 supporters turning out to support the Heart Association’s mission to advocate for federal, state, and local policies and resources that improve the health of people in our community.

Adults in comfortable clothing participate in hula class.
An American Heart Association "Hula for Hypertension" class at Waimanalo Health Center. The outreach program teaches culturally based methods for improving health in the Native Hawaiian community.

“During early campaign planning meetings with AHA Hawaii leaders last year, our team learned of the pervasive health and social disparities faced by Native Hawaiians, who suffer the highest number of deaths and hospitalizations from stroke and heart disease in Hawaii compared to other ethnicities," said Ku’uhaku Park, SVP, Government & Community Relations. “We decided that addressing these inequalities would be the focus of the year’s fundraising drive. When the wildfires hit Maui, Matson was among the first to mobilize support and coordinate efforts, and it reinforced our decision to focus on improving health outcomes in the Native Hawaiian community.”

As the year-long campaign’s chair organization, Matson donated $150,000 and helped raise an additional $1.3 million to support the Heart Association’s programs and incorporate three additional clinics on Maui: Malama I Ke Ola, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, and Hui No Ke Ola Pono. All three provide culturally grounded health education programs that promote healthier, more resilient lives for Native Hawaiians.

Two women waring comfortable clothing raise their right hand to the ceiling, while their left hand stays on the hip. “It was truly an amazing outpouring of support given the tremendous needs of the Maui community who are still recovering from last summer’s wildfire,” said Len Isotoff, senior vice president, Pacific. “Ku’uhaku Park, our senior vice president of Government & Community Relations, headed up an executive leadership team comprised of many key vendors and local business leaders whose companies purchased tables and made donations to the fundraising event. Sridhar Chari, vice president and CIO, and Jocelyn Chagami, our director of IT Technical Solutions, both helped gain the support of some of our key IT vendors.”

The executive team thanks everyone who came together and contributed to the success of this year’s Heart Ball for their personal commitment to helping improve health outcomes in our local communities.