Philanthropy: Hawai‘i Five-O Actor’s Legacy Lives on Through His Philanthropy

Presented by Hawai‘i Community Foundation: Book ‘Em Danno!

May 30, 2016

Site Staff,

In addition to the Lords’ generosity, the daughters of Leonard Freeman, creator of the Hawaii Five-0 series, established the Leonard & Rose Freeman Family Fund at HCF for the benefit of Hawai‘i’s nonprofits.

A Nu‘uanu family gathers at the bedside of a dying mother, reminiscing, celebrating her life, saying good-bye. A middle-aged woman blinded by disease makes her way off the bus onto King Street with Laika, her trusted guide dog. And middle and high school students learn to write and produce news stories about communities across the state, from Hāna to Hilo.

So many different people, different stories, different needs — all of them beneficiaries of the generosity and vision of one couple and their love for Hawai‘i.

Jack and Marie Lord left their significant assets, including their real estate holdings, to the Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF), making it possible for Hospice Hawai‘i and St. Francis Healthcare to bring closure to families when they need it most; for Eye of the Pacific Guide Dogs Foundation to bring technology and trained dogs to those with disabilities; and for PBS Hawai‘i to create HIKI NŌ, the first student news network in the nation.

“Real estate assets make it possible for HCF to bring benefit and opportunity to so many worthy causes across the state and present an attractive estate planning option for families looking to give back.” — Kelvin H. Taketa, CEO of HCF

The Lord’s generosity started with a $50,000 gift to HCF, which later grew to over $40 million in 2006, one of the single largest gifts in the country at the time. Known for his iconic role as the first Steve McGarrett of Hawai‘i Five-0, Lord left big shoes to fill both on screen and off. He and his wife, Marie, embraced Hawai‘i, leveraging their resources and their celebrity status to bring attention and much needed money to an array of causes that include: