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Resource on philanthropy and community investing
$39 million in community grants supporting all fields, geographic areas and populations, including $5 million in scholarships

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$26.6 million distributed in scholarships over the past 15 years
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Home » For Help with Giving » Making a Difference » Giving Back to All the Places He Calls Home

Giving Back to All the Places He Calls Home

Gordon Russell

Giving Back to All The Places He Calls Home Gordon Russell, a part-time Hawai‘i Island resident, believes in giving back to the communities in which he lives. Establishing his own donor-advised fund at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation has helped him learn more about the island that he chooses to call home for a fraction of the year. But most important, he's having fun giving his money to innovative causes that he believes will make a difference.

"Gordon is genuinely interested in this community and his neighbors, said Diane Chadwick, HCF foundation officer for Hawai‘i Island. "He takes the time to find out what the needs are, and then tries to help meet them."

While growing up in Arlington, Massachusetts, Russell's giving philosophy was instilled in him by his parents who were active in community service. "You have, they need, therefore you give," is a quote from his mother. Though a simple lesson back then, it continues to serve to this day, as the basis for Russell's sense of compassion and generosity to help those in need.

Ka Hale o Kawaihae, a transitional housing project, was the first local recipient of Russell's generosity. His grant award provided activities for the children who were temporarily living there so that their parents could receive training to develop valuable employment skills. Ka Hale houses nearly 29 adults and 40 children—the majority under age six.

Another grant from Russell was made to the Hilo United Methodist Church on the east side of the island. The church's Peanut Butter Ministry was able to purchase an industrial-sized refrigerator to help prepare dinners for the homeless. Currently, more than 100 meals are served by volunteers every Tuesday and Thursday evening.

Other grants benefited the North Hawai‘i Community Learning Center for a teen mentoring project, and the Good Beginnings Alliance to introduce the Raising a Reader Literacy Program for pre-schoolers and their parents participating in weekly playgroups in various locations around Hawai‘i Island.

While visiting HCF's Hawai‘i Island office, Russell quoted Andrew Carnegie, "Men of affairs have a responsibility to better the human condition." And Gordon Russell is certainly living that creed in each of the communities he calls home—Portola Valley, Calif., Sun Valley, Idaho and Puako, Hawai‘i.