Through the sales of their Malama Japan T-shirts, T&C Surf Designs Hawaii has raised $82,000 for the American Red Cross (ARC)-Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.
On March 24 the company launched a fundraising partnership with ARC with a mission to donate one-hundred percent of the companys net proceeds in Malama Japan T-shirt sales to the relief fund. The first run of shirts sold out online overnight and inventory in Oahu stores wiped out in days. Store staff kept wait lists for weeks to fill customer requests. Representatives of T&C Surf presented the check to the ARC at their Diamond Head offices recently.
Along with other local businesses, T&C Surf felt compelled to step up and help in the relief efforts. The company has a special connection with Japan, having done business with countless visitors for 40 years as well as selling products through several business partners.
Adam Borrello, director of international licensing at T&C Surf, says I travel to Japan regularly to work with our partners and have found Japans people to be very kind, respectful and caring. I salute our ownerships decision to make this generous donation. Providing this support is the right thing to do, and I know the Japanese would do the same for us.
The Malama Japan T-shirt features a uniquely island design that incorporates Hawaiian words such as lokahi and kokua block printed in the silhouette of country of Japan. The red dot symbolic of the Japanese flag surrounds the northeast prefectures struck hardest by the earthquake and tsunami. A limited number of shirts are still available online and at the T&C Surf store at Pearlridge Uptown.
Founded in 1971 by surfboard shaper Craig Sugihara, T&C Surf operates three divisions: surfboards, retail and licensing. The surfboard division operates from a state-of-the art shaping facility in Wahiawa. It provides our highly skilled board shapers with the best tools for designing and producing some of the worlds most sought-after boards. The retail division includes six locations on Oahu; Ala Moana Center, International Market Place, Kahala Mall, Pearlridge Shopping Center, Ward Center, and Windward Mall. The licensing division has agreements around the world, including Japan, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand. Visit us online at TCSurf.com.
