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The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation has given $7.5 million to Saint Louis School, the largest gift in the school’s 167-year history, the school announced last week.
The foundation’s award is a matching gift, doubling the $7.5 million recently raised by the school.
The money will be used to build the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Center, which will feature an arena, multipurpose rooms, a weight-training facility and locker rooms. The Brother Gerber Field House will be razed to make way for the center.
Additional phases of the campus construction campaign will include classroom renovations and high-tech infrastructure upgrades, the school said.
"Clarence T.C. Ching came from a poor family and was gifted with a Saint Louis School education that he credited for giving him the foundation that helped make him successful in business and life — so successful that he left quite a legacy — and now the skinny young man from Kauai who loved sports will now have an athletic center named after him on his alma mater’s campus," said Ray Tam, vice chairman of the Ching Foundation.
Other grants:
» The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs will receive $400,000 in Brownfields Assessment Grants to be used for site assessments in Kakaako.
The money is part of $62.5 million in grants nationally to help communities evaluate, clean and redevelop contaminated land.
OHA will receive two assessment grants of $200,000 each — one for hazardous substances and another for petroleum contamination. The money is targeted to help clean up six parcels in Kakaako Makai.
"These grants will go a long way to bring areas in Honolulu back into productive reuse while involving community members in the process," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA regional administrator for the Pacific Southwest.
» The Waterhouse Charitable Trust awarded $150,000 last month to support the UH Warrior Football Summer School Scholarship program.
The program covers summer school session costs including fees, tuition, housing and meals.
"The program is especially important to students majoring in the sciences who may not be able to complete difficult lab courses during the busy season when they are frequently traveling," head coach Norm Chow said. "The summer program also allows transfer students an opportunity to catch up and make progress toward their degree."
» The Hawaii affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure gave $25,000 to Waikiki Health (previously Waikiki Health Center) for the nonprofit agency’s clinical breast health services for medically underserved and at-risk women.
The grant, made last month, also will go toward referrals for mammography and other imaging procedures for women who are unable to pay for such services.
"Grant funding from the Hawaii affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure will enable us to provide potentially lifesaving services to more people who need them," said Sheila Beckham, Waikiki Health’s chief executive officer.
» The Hawaii Lions Foundation donated $2,680 last month to Project Vision Hawaii for a new awning for its "vision van" recreational vehicle.
Project Vision Hawaii is a nonprofit organization that provides free vision screenings throughout Hawaii. It ships its 36-foot RV interisland to perform health screenings for homeless people, children and low-income people who have limited access to health care.
"With the awning installed, screening is easier and more comfortable," said Annie Hiller, executive director of Project Vision Hawaii. "People can wait in the shade and be protected from variable weather conditions."
Project Vision Hawaii has screened more than 9,000 people in rural areas such as Hana, Maui and Kau on Hawaii island since 2011. It has provided more than 300 homeless people with eyeglasses and more than 800 keiki with school readiness screenings each year.
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Star-Advertiser staff
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