Soon after reports went out about the earthquake and tsunami that hit northeast Japan in March, a group of 30-something small-business entrepreneurs with surf-skate and urban-style backgrounds quickly assembled a charity campaign that brought them to the attention of state and business officials.

By October, the Aloha for Japan campaign to help those affected by the disasters raised upward of $8 million.

And that’s thanks to the initial action of a hui first assembled by radio personality Lanai Tabura, along with clothing owner-designers BJ Sabate of Butigroove, Kyle Shimabukuro of HiLife Clothing Co. and Jun Jo of in4mation, and additional kokua from Keola Rapoza and Rene Mathyssen of Fitted, and Jackie Buder of Barefoot League.

Their success in rallying Hawaii residents to help the people of Japan led the Star-Advertiser to name the group one of the 10 Who Made a Difference in 2011.

Under the collective monicker of the GRP Home Co., the group had been meeting occasionally over an 18-month period, discussing how to promote and perpetuate the spirit of aloha in their businesses.

"I wanted them to know the power they had as a younger generation to show what is real about Hawaii," said Tabura, "and one of the things unique here is the designed T-shirt," something that would carry on the tradition of the aloha shirt of the 1950s and ’60s.

To develop a common sense of purpose (and with guidance from Mike McCartney of the Hawaii Tourism Authority and Pono Shim of Enterprise Honolulu), they took field trips to places such as Bishop Museum and Keaiwa Heiau State Park in Aiea, and learned how to pound poi with Mana Ai’s Daniel Anthony, trying to open their collective mind to the native culture.

The group actually met the day of the tsunami at Ala Moana Beach Park, and Sabate remembers getting "chicken skin" looking out at all the boats putting out to sea for safety reasons.

Soon after the all-clear message was announced for Hawaii in the early morning hours of March 11, Shimabukuro texted Sabate about doing a T-shirt that would help raise money for the Japanese relief effort. Shimabukuro designed the simple and effective logo.

To make clear the hui’s intent, a red palaka denim patch was printed on the shirt’s back along with the words of aloha proponent Auntie Pilahi Paki: "The world will turn to Hawai’i as they search for world peace because Hawai’i has the key … and that key is Aloha!"

With the invaluable help of Sabate’s family silk-screening business, 300 Aloha for Japan T-shirts were printed the night of March 11 and distributed to the hui’s stores and made available online. Because of demand, an additional 600 shirts were printed the next morning, and after a week’s time of going 24/7, Sabate said they went through all of the island’s available T-shirt "blanks."

"It all got so big so fast," Tabura said.

By March 14, Tabura said, he received 42 messages from national media outlets for interview opportunities, and he and some of the hui also appeared on morning news shows here to talk about and promote Aloha for Japan. Soon the call came from the Lieutenant Governor’s Office that Brian Schatz and a high-profile group of individuals and businesses wanted to meet with the hui in coordinating their charitable efforts.

It was Tabura, as spokesman for the hui, who insisted that the T-shirt design not be cluttered by supporting business logos.

The Aloha for Japan message clearly reached Japan as well. T-shirts have been sent to schools in affected areas to be proudly worn by children and, given the annual Japanese turnout for the Honolulu Marathon, Sabate took it upon himself to set up a table on Kahala Avenue along the race route to give away 1,500 T-shirts to passing runners.

"This was all done with the purest of intentions," Jo said. "It was all about raising a bit of money and giving those affected in Japan the feeling that Hawaii’s got its back."

"I personally think a lot of people have forgotten what aloha truly means," Tabura added. "The lesson behind Aloha for Japan really opened up people’s eyes."