A family with ties to the University of Hawaiʻi has turned their tragedy into philanthropy. Reid Richards, husband of UH Cancer Center Information Technology Director Wendy Richards and brother of UH Office of Project Delivery Construction Manager Ross Richards, passed away in 1998 at the age of 33 after battling cancer for a year. Reid’s death left Wendy, his two young children Jason and Jenna (who is currently a graduate student at the Shidler College of Business), and his family and friends overcome with anguish and uncertainty.
A year after Reid’s passing, the family channeled their grief by establishing The Reid J.K. Richards Foundation to provide support to other grieving children and young adults who lost a parent or primary caretaker through death. To help alleviate the financial burden that comes with the loss of a parent or primary caretaker, the foundation established the Kamakahoʻohie Scholarship which provides financial assistance to help bereaved individuals up to age 25 achieve their academic goals.
“Honoring my brother through the Reid Richards Foundation is a lifetime responsibility. We created the foundation after my brother’s passing with the intentions of supporting his children and to provide bereavement services for the people of Hawaiʻi,” said Ross who is 22 months younger and serves as the foundation’s vice president. “It’s very gratifying to know that my brother will not be forgotten through the efforts of the foundation.”
The Reid Richards Foundation raises money through an annual gala and a golf tournament which Ross organizes. In its 21 years of existence, the foundation has awarded nearly 50 scholarships totaling about $100,000.
Added Ross, “It may sound funny, but even after his death, Reid made many new friends and has impacted many lives; a tribute to the well-respected and great man to all who knew and loved him.”
