National Police Week Fundraiser 2022

Kona Coffee & Tea is honored to partner with the Hawaii Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation for this year’s Police Week, May 15-21, 2022. HLEMF’s main mission is to honor law enforcement officers from city, county, state, military, and federal agencies who have died in the line of duty while serving the people of Hawaii. We spoke with Edward Ignacio, a board member of HLEMF, about the foundation.

What is the story behind Hawaii Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation?

The Hawaii Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation (HLEMF) was founded in 2010 by the wife of a fallen officer. I joined the board shortly thereafter. The mission of the nonprofit was to build a Memorial in the State of Hawaii for those in Law Enforcement who were killed in the line of duty. At HLEMF's founding, Hawaii was the only state in the US without a memorial. Through a lot of fundraising In 2016, the memorial was finally built on Oahu. Now the HLEMF is responsible for upkeep, maintenance and ceremonies at the site during police week, and when another name must be added to the wall.

Can you talk about some of the past fundraisers you were a part of that raises awareness about HLEMF?

National Police Week is every year in the Month of May and honors the police officers who have died in the line of duty. I recently retired from law enforcement and have been actively fundraising for HLEMF for about 10 years. I have organized many fundraisers including triathlons, running events, and t-shirt sales. I try and do something every year during this week. Last year I organized a flag run over saddle road to the Hilo Memorial where the flag was handed off every mile. I'm most known for fundraising by doing endurance events in 40 pounds of tactical gear, including the Ironman World Championships.

You can learn more about Hawaii Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation here: www.hlemf.org.

How You Can Support HLEMF

Buy a Cup of Coffee for a Cop During Police Week!