Brent Kunimoto
Photo from Brent Kunimoto
Diamond Bakery continues to perpetuate its mission to share aloha with people in the community, something it has done since its inception in 1921. And this year it has partnered with Shriners Hospitals for Children to make a difference.
“Sharing heartwarming aloha with children is a very important part (of our mission),” says Diamond Bakery executive director Brent Kunimoto. “If you inspire people early, hopefully they can live a life where they have those same kinds of values of giving for many years.”
The partnership with Shriners is something Kunimoto, who has been with Diamond Bakery for 14 years, is hoping will last a lifetime.
“We look for organizations to work with that have similar values to ours,” he explains. “One thing that stood out about Shriners is they are very altruistic.
“We felt that it would be fun to involve Shriners and involve others to bring about that giving part I believe is inherent in many people.”
In order to further its mission, Diamond Bakery created a fun contest — similar to its Kendama contest last year — to involve the public in a lighthearted musical experience.
People are invited to sing along with Diamond Bakery during its Crunch For Love campaign, which encourages the public to get creative and sing for Shriners and help Hawaii’s keiki.
The campaign kicked off Valentine’s Day and runs until March 15.
Participants can upload their own renditions of “The Official Diamond Cracker Song” or add their own verse — videos that incorporate family and friends are more than welcome.
“They listen to the song, and they can create a song of their own or a verse,” Kunimoto explains.
For each video uploaded online at diamondbakery.com/shriners (music and lyrics also are available here), Diamond Bakery will donate $10 to the hospital. According to the bakery, for every vote received on a video entry, it will donate $1 to Shriners, and for every video share it will donate $2.
At the end of the contest, the five videos with the most votes will receive a $100 gift card to Diamond Bakery’s online shop.
“We hope to spark the hearts of the people of Hawaii to participate and really bring out the goodness that already exists in people,” adds Kunimoto. “We provide comfort food for people, and we try to build memories. This is all part of that.”
Visit diamondbakery.com/shriners for more information on how to enter, instructions and sample music clips.
