In 2004, Hawaii's Reinventing Education Act gave school administrators greater control over their budgets. Faced with the pressure to show student performance on standardized tests, many schools had to choose between supporting art or core subject areas.

There is no funding for art education at Sunset Beach Elementary.

In 2009 a group of parents joined together and created Friends of Sunset Beach - a non-profit dedicated to funding the arts Sunset Beach Elementary and in the North Shore community. The money from our fundraising efforts goes toward ensuring that every child has the opportunity to experience art education.

friends of sunset beach Supporters

Students who receive arts education have higher self-confidence, test scores, and are more likely to go to college.

Screen Shot 2016-06-20 at 4.59.12 PM.png

Our donations enable Sunset Beach Elementary to pay for an arts program and help fund music education. They provide art supplies for each classroom, and enable us to commission local artists to come to the school and develop year-long art projects, where every single child has has the chance to participate and leave their mark.

In 2010 we taught kindergarteners through 12th graders how to create artwork with only recycled materials. In 2014 we bought computers for the 6th grade so they could learn Photoshop and video editing. When the Sunset Beach Recreation Center needed mirrors for their ballet classes, they turned to us.

Friends of Sunset Beach is
100% volunteer and donation-based.

Art has the power to change children's lives in ways other kinds of learning cannot, but we need your help, and the continuing support of the community, to keep these programs alive.