Support Good
Kona Impact is as busy as it has ever been, with multiple marketing and design projects going on all the time. We’re busy, which, of course, is a good thing. That said, it sometimes makes us too busy to take a step back and see the bigger picture of life.
Life goes on around us: we see homeless people milling around the area near our office; we witness an occasional fit of rage at the intersection where cars and pedestrians nearly collide on a daily basis; sometimes we see children smoking cigarettes and other stuff out back.
The world is full of things that do (or should) make us feel a bit of dissonance between our mostly comfortable lives and the plight of others who struggle to establish or maintain a good path in life.
The other day, I was thinking of a very simple bumper sticker for my truck: Support Good. It’s a simple statement, but it makes sense: focus on what is good in life and support it however you can. It might be with time, treasure (money) or talent. It doesn’t have to consume your life, but just the act of making a few positive steps can make a difference.
Kona Impact as a business has been fortunate, because we have a lot of tools and talent that can support good. In the past month or so, we have supported the following groups through donations of resources and time:
Aloha Performing Arts Center (APAC) with a new, donated, website
Kona Parade Association with parade signage far below cost
Deep and Beyond with no cost printing
Habitat for Humanity with no cost printing
Kona Historical Society with signage
Hawaii Island HIV/AIDs Foundation with free signage for their Taste of Life benefit
Hospice of Kona with sign donations for Camp Erin
Truth be told, Kona Impact is asked almost daily for donations of time, materials or money. We can’t support every group, nor do we want to. Our giving is very strategic in that we support organizations that meet these four criteria:
- Extremely well run. We want our resources to go to groups that are efficient and run very well. We know the leadership of each of these groups and know them to be stellar in the execution of their goals.
- Local. We never give money to off-island causes as a matter of policy. We want our donations to make the lives of people in Kona better.
- “Needy” groups. By this, we mean we tend to support groups run on a shoestring budget. Habitat and Hospice are the exceptions to this rule.
- Impact. We know that donated marketing services and products are multipliers for these groups. They help them raise more resources, improve their awareness in the community and recruit volunteers.
As we move into the second half of 2014, we look forward to keeping busy with paid accounts, while at the same time continuing to support good in our community. We are always optimistic about what the future brings for business in Kona and our community. Kona Impact has always been a business that had dual goals: helping businesses grow, while at the same time strengthening what is good in our community to ensure that it is a vibrant and comfortable place to live.
Support good.