/24-7PressRelease/ - HONOLULU, HI, August 31, 2008 - Friends of Hokule'a & Hawai'iloa have agreed to lease one of their handcrafted canoes to be featured in the new ING DIRECT Cafe, located at 1958 Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki, which is scheduled to open in fall 2008.
When it came to designing the new ING DIRECT Cafe, Cleo Brown, Head of Hawaii Operations for ING DIRECT and a 40-year resident of Hawaii was on a mission. "ING DIRECT makes a point of embracing the surroundings of each of their Cafe's," said Brown. "When I was put in charge of this project, I was determined to break from the traditional flower and turtle scheme; I wanted this Cafe to reflect the true beauty of Hawaii and that beauty lies within its culture."
The Friends of Hokule'a & Hawai'iloa is a nonprofit organization dedicated to perpetuating ancient Hawaiian canoe resources by building, restoring and sharing traditional canoe building skills. "We work with both wooden and composite canoes in the building, restoration, and repair of this craft," said Tay W. Perry, Vice President of the Friends of Hokule'a & Hawai'iloa "The vessels range from the 60 foot-plus voyaging canoes to small fishing and surfing canoes." Friends of Hokule'a & Hawai'iloa plan to host a program at the ING DIRECT Cafe, which will focus on traditional Hawaiian canoe-building and the cultural and religious aspects of the process. "There are very few of these (canoes) in existence at the present time. We are working to educate the public about the tradition and to develop the next generation of canoe craftsmen," said Perry.
The beautiful, handcrafted, part-Koa canoe will be displayed in the ING DIRECT Cafe, serving as a focal point for the island-influenced gathering place. Brown collaborated with her Honolulu-based design team, AM Partners, Inc., to come up with a look for the Cafe that would successfully combine authentic Hawaiian influences with the modern design elements that represent ING DIRECT's, visionary nature.
The ING DIRECT Cafe will serve as both a financial information center as well as a social gathering place. In addition to learning about the different ways to save, visitors will be able to check their ING DIRECT accounts via high-tech Internet kiosks, purchase items from local vendors and enjoy a fantastic lunch from one of the Cafe 's featured local favorites, Panya Bakery, Hawaiian Coffee Co and Hokulani Bakery.
About ING DIRECT
ING DIRECT is a fun, innovative, community-oriented, online bank, known for its passion to help people save. ING DIRECT is the nation's largest direct bank and third-largest thrift. Since its inception in 2000, more than 7.1 million Americans have entrusted their savings with ING DIRECT, building the bank to $79 billion in assets. ING DIRECT currently has over 20,000 customers in Hawaii.
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