ʻEWA BEACH, HAWAIʻI – The Taco Bell Foundation has awarded Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii (BGCH) a record $175,000 grant to support teens across Oʻahu and Kauaʻi—the largest the organization has received from the Foundation to date. The gift was powered by Taco Bell customers rounding up their purchases at checkout, a few coins at a time.

The grant will support BGCH’s What’s Next Program, which reaches 75 teens across 8 Teen Centers and helps them prepare for life beyond the Club through career exploration, workforce development, education, and other opportunities designed to help them envision and pursue their futures. Funding will also support additional teen-focused initiatives across BGCH’s Clubs.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Taco Bell Foundation, its employees, and the customers who chose to round up their purchases to support our keiki,” said Paddy Kauhane, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii. “This generous investment will help us provide more opportunities for teens to explore their potential, develop skills and prepare for their futures.”

The grant comes through the Taco Bell Foundation’s Community Grants program, funded entirely by customers who round up their purchases to the nearest dollar through the Foundation’s Round Up program. Through the generosity of Taco Bell customers and the dedicated efforts of employees who share BGCH’s mission and encourage guests to support the youth in their communities, BGCH can continue to make a difference in the lives of many.

“Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii is doing exactly the work our program was built to support—meeting young people where they are and helping them reach higher,” said Kevin Kurihara, president of RBD Hawaii Restaurants Limited, a subsidiary of RBD US Holdings, Ltd. “We are proud that our customers and team members in Hawaiʻi made this record investment possible.”

BGCH has partnered with the Taco Bell Foundation for seven years, strengthening programs that provide Hawaiʻi’s youth with the resources and opportunities they need to succeed.

“Every year, this partnership lets us reach a few more keiki who need us most,” Kauhane said. “This gift means more of them get to imagine what’s next—and start building it.”