HONOLULU—Kenneth Yeung of POP’s Foundation has donated $50,000 to support his alma mater, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work. In recognition of his gift, the Learning Zone Classroom 102 in Gartley Hall has been named after Yeung’s non-profit orphanage in China, “Prince of Peace Children’s Home.”
Yeung was born and raised in China until age 11. His family then moved to Hong Kong. He received his BS from the University of San Francisco and his MSW from UH Mānoa. Yeung is the founder of Prince of Peace Enterprises Inc., marketer of Prince of Peace Ginseng. He also has exclusive rights to distribute Tiger Balm, hence his nickname “Mr. Tiger Balm.”
“As a poor foreign student from Hong Kong in 1972, I was very grateful to UH that I only had to pay the same tuition as the local students, or I would not be able to afford the higher out-of-state rate,” said Yeung. “Those two years at the School of Social Work are the most memorable years in my life. The small gift that I gave was that I wanted to see more students, including international students, be benefited by the good education UH has to offer.”
“The people who benefit from social work are our ‘ohana and neighbors who are facing health problems; undergoing bereavement counseling; suffering from an array of social difficulties, including poverty, homelessness, domestic violence or addictions; or recovering from a natural disaster,” said School of Social Work Dean Noreen Mokuau. She continued, “This generous gift from Kenneth Yeung will help our school provide the education and training our students need to effectively serve in diverse communities where they are needed most. We are most grateful and proud of our alumnus, who is building a better world through his business and philanthropy.”
About the Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work:
- Only school of social work in the Pacific Basin with three educational programs articulating undergraduate and graduate education — BSW, MSW and PhD
- Ranked in the top third of all accredited masters’ programs in the U.S., and distance education option is ranked among the top ten online social work programs
- 70 percent of students in the school are residents of Hawai‘i, from more than 20 racial/ethnic groups.
Opportunities to Support
“In order to prepare our graduates to be powerful and effective leaders grounded in a Hawaiian place of learning, and with reach and relevance for the global enterprise, we need to work with our friends and partners to fund higher education,” said Dean Mokuau. “To thank donors for their major contributions, we are excited about new donor recognition naming opportunities.”
The naming of the spaces within the renovated Gartley Hall is a significant, highly visible honor that can catalyze teaching and research. There are a variety of spaces that can be named that have instructional, research, community engagement and administrative functions.
If you would like to learn how you can support UH students and programs like this, please contact us at 808 376-7800 or send us a message.
You can also make a gift online:
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The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. The mission of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is to unite donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawaiʻi and our future generations www.uhfoundation.org.
