Target Aids School Repair Projects

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Volunteers Jake Juan (front) and Jeffrey Aganos apply a fresh coat of paint to the gates at Kapolei Middle School. Photo by Leah Ball, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

As part of Target’s ongoing efforts to strengthen families and communities throughout the country, the department store chain has partnered with Hawaii 3Rs to repair Kapolei Middle and Radford High schools.

Target, which will be opening its Kapolei store in March, recently gifted Hawaii 3Rs with a $50,000 grant, which will be combined with $100,000 in Hawaii 3Rs funds to help repaint the two schools.

In addition to the grant, 200 Target employees volunteered their painting skills to the cause earlier this month.

“This is by far the largest volunteer turnout from one organization in the seven-year history of Hawaii 3Rs,” said executive director Ryan Shigetani.

The combined funds and “sweat equity” will be used specifically to repaint the exterior of a major portion of Radford and all of Kapolei Middle School. The work is estimated by the state Department of Education to have cost the state more than $500,000 - without the grants and volunteer help.

The areas that are too difficult, too time-consuming and too dangerous for the volunteers will be finished by Jade Painting Inc. The Waipahu-based contractor, which trained and supervised volunteers Jan. 10, also has offered a heavily discounted rate to give back to the schools.

Hawaii 3Rs was established by U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye in 2001 to repair, remodel and restore Hawaii’s public schools. Since its inception, the nonprofit has completed more than $11.5 million in repair and maintenance projects, which the state estimates would have cost approximately $27.7 million to complete on its own.

For more on Hawaii 3Rs, visit www.hawaii3rs.com.