For the past 32 years, Hawaii Hotel & Lodging Association (HHLA) has sponsored the annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk, a fundraiser held on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Molokai and the Big Island that generates money for more than 200 of Hawaii's charities. This year, Chris Tatum, area vice president of Marriott International - North Asia, Hawaii and South Pacific, was the chairman of the event which was held statewide on May 15th. Marriott's Hawaii associates across the state raised funds totaling more than $95,500 and donated nearly 900 volunteer hours of their time and dedication.
The walks feature visitor industry-sponsored checkpoints offering food, beverages, and a variety of local entertainers and musicians. On Oahu, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa's station offered walkers refreshing shave ice, watermelon, entertainment and a mini carnival! In Lihue, Kauai Marriott Resort associates offered a Japanese dish called okonomiyaki with rice and pickled vegetables.
Since its inception in 1978, the Charity Walk has raised over $22 million for Hawaii's charities. Marriott's commitment is all part of its Spirit to Serve, a program fostered to do goodwill in the communities it does business.
