The Rotary Club of Hilo presented two checks of $8,000 each to their annual signature beneficiaries at the Nov. 19 club meeting.
The Hilo Medical Center Foundation’s Primary Care Physician Training and the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of East Hawaii were on hand for the awarding of the Hilo Brewfest’s annual fundraiser.
“It was wonderful to finally come together at an in-person club meeting and be able to directly present the checks to our worthy beneficiaries,” said club President Beverly Heikes. “It was a challenging year for everyone, but our hardworking club members came through again.”
A redesign of the annual Hilo Brewfest was needed for a June 26, 2021 date.
“We had to think inside the box,” said Nancy Cabral, immediate past president and president during the fiscal year for the June Brewfest.
“With COVID, we could not stage a major event of 1000 plus people as we had in the past,” she said. “Our clever Brewfest committee members redesigned the annual event into a virtual ‘inside the box’ promotion. Beers or ciders were packaged into boxes that ‘attendees’ could purchase. Working on weekends and a couple of ‘until midnight’ packaging parties got 500 boxes ready for distribution.”
After the 2020 Hilo Brewfest was completely cancelled, club members answered the call to create a new virtual event complete with beer and a live link to a prerecorded concert on Saturday, June 26, 2021.
The hard work paid off as all boxes were distributed the Saturday before June 26 so buyers could chill their beer and sit back for a concert the following Saturday.
“The Brewfest in a Box was such a great success,” said Bob Hanley, originator and perennial chairperson of the festival. “We now have people hoping that we will still offer some boxes when we are able to return to our full-on in-person event at the Wainaku Executive Center.”
Both the Hilo Medical Foundation and the Friends of the CJCEH were happy to receive the much-needed funds.
Both nonprofits wish to thank the many club members who worked so hard to make a redesigned Brewfest and to also thank the many beer lovers and corporate sponsors who supported the event.