T&C Surf Raises $82,000 for Japan

HONOLULU (June 2, 2011) -  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 company's 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 today.

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 Japan's people to be very kind, respectful and caring. I salute our ownership's 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 designed by Lani Isherwood, T&C's marketing director 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 Ala Moana Center.