LDS Philanthropies, which coordinates fundraising beyond tithing and fast offerings for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its institutions, founded the Matthew Cowley Society during a special luncheon on campus March 5 to honor donors who make estate planning deferred gift contributions to Brigham Young University and/or the Polynesian Cultural Center.
Von D. Orgill, President of the Polynesian Cultural Center, explained it was appropriate to name the society after Cowley [pictured at left]. "The Center is a place of miracles. It always has been," he said. "Members of the Church familiar with Matthew Cowley knew him as a man of miracles."
Starting in 1914, Elder Cowley served several missions in New Zealand, where he was noted for his close association with the Maori people and exceptional skills in their language. Later, as a member of the Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he worked with Latter-day Saint missions in the Pacific and Asia. In that capacity, during a visit to Honolulu in 1951 he outlined his vision of "little villages" in Laie where the Polynesian people could share their culture.
Elder Cowley passed away in 1953 — two years before the Church College of Hawaii opened (CCH was renamed BYU-Hawaii in 1974); however, Edward L. Clissold, Wendell B. Mendenhall and others used that concept to start up the Polynesian Cultural Center. Since 1963 the PCC has attracted more than 33 million people to Laie and helped over 17,000 BYU-Hawaii students work their way through school. Today, approximately 700 BYUH students work there — 500 of them as part of the joint International Work Experience Scholarship program that ensures almost all of them graduate debt free.
"I know the things going on here were designed by the Lord, and His hand is at work here. We see it, feel it and experience it every day," Orgill said. "For those of you who helped in the past, are helping now or may yet help in the future, I thank you and express my love and appreciation."
Wally Thiim, LDS Philanthropies' Principal Gift Officer for Hawaii, noted the new society numbers over 50 couples so far. "It's for anyone who wants to include BYU-Hawaii or the PCC in their estate planning, trusts or wills. There's no minimum contribution," he said. "As the years go by, we expect it to grow."
At the start of the luncheon program, LDS Philanthropies introduced Elder Heber Lloyd [pictured at right] and V. Napua Baker as co-chair coordinators for the Matthew Cowley Society. Elder Lloyd, who retired from LDS Philanthropies, will soon complete a senior service mission at the PCC and will then focus on fundraising for the society on the mainland. Baker, BYU-Hawaii Vice President of University Advancement, will work with contributors in Hawaii.
"We thank you for donating to BYU-Hawaii and the PCC," Elder Llloyd said. "They're very special, and deferred gifts are a great way to give."
BYU-Hawaii President Steven C. Wheelwright spoke of the new objectives and initiatives the university is taking, which "have benefited tremendously by these things and also so many wonderful donors. Thank you for all that you do. It really does make a difference."
"One of the things that will undoubtedly happen is, as we continue to reach more students, our needs for being able to offer financial support will also go up," he added. "Many of our students from the target area of Asia and the Pacific need some help."
As part of the luncheon, a small group of Maori villagers from the Polynesian Cultural Center, presented several numbers. One of them, Alexandra Mulligan [far right in the picture below], a freshman world music major from Te Hauke, New Zealand, said since coming to BYU-Hawaii, "I have learned so many things. I have had so many life experiences and I'm so grateful, because I get to work at PCC. I get to do something that I love."
"I just love being with the people," she added. "Sometimes we see people crying. Sometimes they say, 'What happened? What came over me?' We know that it's the Spirit that happened."
Another, Fraser Kauwhata [far left in the picture above], a freshman information systems major from Rotorua, explained he would not have been able to attend BYU-Hawaii without assistance. "University wasn't a reality for me," he said. "The PCC has enabled me to come here."
At the conclusion of the kick-off luncheon, Elder Lloyd said after serving in Laie, he and his wife "will never be the same. We have seen special things happen. President Wheelwright and President Orgill do amazing things here. They make a huge difference, and we need to make certain we support them."
— Maori group photo by Monique Saenz