YWCA O'ahu Elizabeth Fuller Legacy Society

As Part of Your Legacy, Empower the Next Generation of Women

Elizabeth Fuller, the namesake of YWCA Oahu’s Legacy Society, is pictured third from the right in this 1919 photo.

YWCA O‘ahu was founded in 1900 by Mrs. Emma Dillingham as a place for Honolulu’s working women to build friendships and learn skills that promote community engagement. The YWCA is now part of a global movement on a mission to eliminate racism and empower women.

The YWCA O‘ahu legacy society is named in memory of Ms. Elizabeth Fuller. Elizabeth was a charter member of the Hawaiian Girls Club of the YWCA and as their second president, played an active role in building and growing the club. She was a born leader.

A 1917 honors graduate of McKinley High School, Elizabeth graduated from the territorial normal school the following year. She taught in the public schools while continuing to invest her time and energy toward the betterment and enrichment of the lives of Hawaiian girls. She also taught Sunday school at the Kawaiaha‘o church.

In addition to her athletic skills, Elizabeth was also known as a talented hula dancer and singer. She was part of an entertainment dance troupe that traveled to promote and share the spirit of aloha and Hawaiian culture outside of the United States.

Tragically, in 1923 Elizabeth died on a trip around the world with the Hawaiian Girls Club in India. She was only twenty-five years of age. In 1927 in her memory, the club raised $1,000 and donated it to the YWCA Oahu towards the new building fund for YWCA Laniākea. The Hawaiian Girls Club selected the large hall by the pool and named it “Elizabeth Fuller Hall” in her memory.

Elizabeth and the young women in the Hawaiian Girls Club were the embodiment of female empowerment, and precisely the type of young women that our founder had in mind when she envisioned the YWCA O‘ahu.

Your legacy is putting your stamp on the future. When you name the YWCA O‘ahu in your estate plan, you are supporting our legacy as a pioneering organization that squarely confronts social justice issues to make lasting, meaningful change in our community.

Created to recognize and honor donors who are supporting the YWCA O‘ahu through a bequest or other planned gift while they are living, the YWCA Legacy Society is open to those who have chosen to include the YWCA O‘ahu in their estate plan.

The Society meets each year to gather like-minded supporters of the YWCA and give them an opportunity to learn of current work and future plans of the YWCA. If you have already included YWCA O‘ahu in your estate plans or are considering it, please contact Denise Park, Director of Fund Development and Community Affairs, at (808) 695-2620 or email [email protected].

Ways of leaving your legacy

Outright Bequests: A testamentary gift left to YWCA O‘ahu through a will or living trust is a simple and direct way to provide a charitable bequest.

Retirement Plans: Naming the YWCA O‘ahu as a beneficiary of your retirement funds—such as IRA, 401(k) or 403(b)—is a straightforward and effective way to benefit the community. This type of planned giving may reduce significant, often unanticipated, tax payments.

Life Insurance: A life insurance policy can enable donors to expand modest annual contributions into a more substantial legacy. You can assign a new or existing policy to YWCA O‘ahu, designated as a full or partial beneficiary.