Johnson Foundation Boosts Environmental Lessons For Keiki

Kahuku musician Jack Johnson has again put his money where his heart is with a $5,000 gift to Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF).

The donation, presented this past spring, supports PIDF’s Tutu and Me program and its environmental lessons.

“This gift will surely help our efforts to instill in our keiki the importance of being respectful stewards of our precious ‘aina,” said PIDF president and CEO Jan Hanohano Dill.

The donation comes from the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, an organization created by the nationally known musician and his wife, Kim, to support environmental, art and musical education programs around the world.

The gift isn’t the first time Johnson has supported PIDF. An earlier gift funded the Ulu La’au project in which Tutu and Me families learned about the importance of native plants, while helping to plant mature trees in their communities. They even got a tree to plant in their own yards.

Hanohano Dill praised Johnson for the continued support to local and native Hawaiian families.

“Mahalo to the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation for their devotion to the well-being of Hawaii and its keiki,” he said, “and also for supporting us as we serve Hawaii’s families and live Hawaiian values.”

Tutu and Me aims to identify, recruit and educate the underserved segment of the Native Hawaiian population via a traveling preschool that collaborates with local churches and community organizations.

Oahu sites include Kualoa-Heeia Ecumenical Youth (KEY) Project in Kahaluu, Waialua United Church of Christ, Makakilo Elementary cafeteria, Papakolea Community Park, International Baptist Church in Nuuanu and Waianae District Park.