American Savings lends help to Big Island

American Savings Bank has made several community commitments to support relief efforts on Hawaii island. These include:

>> A $10,000 donation to Bank for Education Ohana School Kua o ka La Public Charter School. The school is directly in the path of the lava flow, which has forced the school to move operations from Pahoa to Hilo. The funds will assist the school with relocation expenses. Kua o ka La serves 229 students in preschool through 12th grade.

>> A $15,000 donation to the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Volcano Recovery Fund. This will provide both immediate relief and long-term support via a handful of nonprofits on the Big Island. These organizations include Hope Services, Food Basket, Neighborhood Place of Puna and Puna Baptist Church. Among the services being provided to those in need are emergency shelters, online resources, food and supply donations, counseling, laundry facilities and on-the-ground staff support.

>> Volunteer support. American Savings’ branch managers on the Big Island are planning Seeds of Service volunteer projects with local grass-roots organization Puuhonua o Puna for July 1 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and with Kua o ka La Public Charter School. Roughly 35 ASB employees will volunteer on July 1, helping to serve meals and distribute supplies.

ON THE MOVE

>> Hawaiian Airlines has appointed Jim Lynde senior vice president of its Human Resources department. He has more than 30 years of human resources experience in the hospitality industry, including serving as vice president and chief human resources officer at JetSuite, based in California. Prior to that, Lynde worked at Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Spirit Airlines, Darden Restaurants and Sagittarius Brands.

Gourmet Events Hawaii has appointed three new specialists to the executive team in Hawaii:

>> Monji Mohammad is GEH’s new director of operations. Mohammad has more than 20 years of leading teams to run a profitable operation, and a strong background in developing management systems and strategic business planning.

>> Tina Sparacio is the new head of event production for GEH. Sparacio has more than 20 years of East Coast hospitality experience in the gaming industries and competitive entertainment.

>> Shaynee Scott is GEH’s new creative producer. Scott has nearly 10 years of production and event design experience and has spent time producing for boutiques and multimillion-dollar companies in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto.