News Release

Honolulu, November 2, 2024 -First Hawaiian Bank (FHB) announced today that employees organized and volunteered to help with ongoing landscape restoration and maintenance at Kuilei Cliffs Beach Park on Saturday, November 2. As part of the bank’s Community Care program, about 70 dedicated FHB employees, alongside family and friends, helped restore the environmental ecosystem to preserve and improve the natural beauty of Kuilei Cliffs, Diamond Head by removing invasive plant species, planting native Hawaiian plants, and developing green space for better land use. By making Kuilei Cliffs Beach Park more accessible and ecologically balanced, FHB volunteers are revitalizing a space where nature and community can thrive together.

“Diamond Head is an iconic place and a beloved locale for so many of us at FHB. We surf out there, walk or run around Leahi for exercise, even drive by on our commutes to work,” said First Hawaiian Bank Vice President Enterprise Data & Analytics Manager Francois Ascani. “It’s our pleasure to give back to this grassroots project that’s on a mission to beautify and restore Diamond Head’s natural native environment.”

The volunteer team worked from 8:00 am until noon, focusing their efforts on restoring the natural spaces around Kuilei Cliffs Beach Park and near the lighthouse by removing invasive plant species, cleaning up debris, and creating a more sustainable environment for native plants to thrive. They removed weeds from previously cleared areas, and cleared new areas for planting, including extensive cutting and removal of kiawe trees. FHB volunteers also cleared invasive plant species to create new open green space for potential seabird habitat restoration.

“This upcoming partnership and collaboration with First Hawaiian Bank is a significant step forward for Kuilei Cliffs. At this point in time, Kuilei Cliffs is entering the initial phase of assessing the feasibility of urban seabird restoration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Mary Demonteverde, co-founder of Kuilei Cliffs. “Our main focus has always been on environmental restoration, but this opportunity allows us to combine efforts, integrating seabird habitat restoration with our environmental work to further enhance the ecological benefits for the area.”

Kuilei Cliffs is a nonprofit community organization dedicated to restoring, revitalizing, and maintaining the natural beauty of Kuilei Cliffs Beach Park on the mauka slope of Diamond Head and the surrounding area. For more information, visit https://kuileicliffs.org.

Launched in 2014, First Hawaiian Bank’s Community Care program is an employee volunteer service initiative connecting nonprofits with employees willing and ready to lend a hand. This bank-wide effort is completely run by employees, with staff serving alongside senior managers to volunteer their time and talents throughout Hawaii, Guam, and Saipan. Volunteer community service activities focus on helping the elderly, children, families, and the environment. Volunteering through the bank’s Community Care program allows employees to show their Aloha for organizations working to build stronger communities. For more information about First Hawaiian Bank Community Care, visit www.fhb.com/caring-for-our-community.