About Town 1-24-14

Applications sought for Walmart grant program

Applications sought for Walmart grant program

Applications from Hawaii nonprofit organizations for the Walmart Foundation’s Hawaii State Giving Council Program are being accepted online until Feb. 1 at foundation.walmart.com. The minimum grant amount is $25,000.

Organizations are encouraged to read the state giving guidelines and state giving FAQs prior to completing the online application. During this first application cycle, Walmart Foundation will only accept applications from organizations requesting funding for programs within the scope of its focused giving areas. If the organization’s program falls outside the focused giving areas and in an area described as community engagement giving, the organization may apply in the final application cycle from July 6 to 12.

The program provides grants, based on recommendations from an advisory council, which is made up of Walmart associates representing local communities who help identify needs within each state, review all eligible grant applications and make funding recommendations.

Author Peek speaking to book club

Author Tom Peek is presenting his book “Daughters of Fire” at the American Association of University Women book club from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday in the Keauhou Shopping Center courtyard. This free event is open to the public.

Peek’s book was published last year. Set on the Big Island, “Daughters of Fire” is a tale of romance, intrigue, myth and murder set amid the cultural tensions of America’s 50th state. A visiting astronomer falls in love with a Hawaiian anthropologist who guides him into the Polynesian world of volcanoes, gods and revered ancestors. The lovers get caught up in murder and intrigue as developers and politicians try to conceal a long-dormant volcano is rumbling back to life above the hotel-laden Kona Coast.

The event is sponsored by the AAUW and Kona Stories bookstore. For more information, call the bookstore at 324-0350.

Space center holding Challenger commemoration

The 28th Challenger Commemorative Event will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m Sunday at The Onizuka Space Center. The free event will feature a presentation by NASA astronaut Rex J. Walheim, who will share his experiences during three space shuttle flights to the International Space Station.

Also featured will be Lisa Arakaki, who will offer a presentation highlighting her book, “An Astronaut’s Legacy: The Story of Ellison S. Onizuka.” The author and illustrator Mitchell Fong will autograph her books at the event.

Onizuka was born and raised in Kona and lost his life on the Challenger space shuttle in 1986. The Onizuka Space Center is a not-for-profit, educational facility at Kona International Airport and may be contacted at 329-3441.