If you think St. Patty’s day is just an occasion to drink green beer and eat bangers and mash, then it’s time to step it up a notch and sign on for a spot at “Sharing the Green” on Mar. 17. This charity golf and extreme bocce tournament is spearheaded by Mike O’Dwyer, the owner of Mulligan’s on the Blue, Barry Helle, Mulligan’s general manager and Patrick Kilbride, the regional sales manager for Title Guarantee. These three Irishmen from Maui are dedicated to making a difference in our community by raising money for Back Pack Buddies of Kamalii School and Hospice Maui.
O’Dwyer is known for his community involvement and generosity. The Hale Kau Kau golf tournament he’s sponsored for the last nine years has helped feed the needy during the holidays. He says he gains inspiration from his wife Tiare, who teaches special education. O’Dwyer left Ireland at 20 and came to the U.S. to work in the food and beverage industry. He moved to Maui in 1996 to join the team at Four Seasons Wailea, and by May 2001 he had opened Mulligan’s.
“Maui is a great island to make home and, believe it or not, it is very much like Ireland,” says O’Dwyer. “It feels good for me to be able to give back and show my thanks to Maui for accepting me.”
Kilbride’s Irish family spans five generations in the U.S., beginning with his paternal great great grandfather’s relocation from Ireland in 1826.
“When grandpa O’Connor left Ireland, he did not say goodbye,” says Kilbride. “He knew he had to leave. His mother had too many children to feed and he felt he was taking food away from his siblings.”
Kilbride says his experience with hunger growing up among 20 kids in the Kilbride and O’Connor families in Miami inspired him to help those in need.
“The built-in personal drive I have to help and to serve has been part of me for years,” says Kilbride. “Because I was blessed with Living Angels along the way when I was growing up quite poor and often hungry in Miami in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Living Angels were there for me when I was in need and even helped lead me to where I am today.”
Kilbride also attributes his ability to make a difference to his wife Linda Morgan, president of Linda Morgan & Associate, Inc., his daughter Katie and Title Guarantee.
“TG makes it easy for us to find ways to support people all over the state by affording us the time and the funds for us to do our good works,” says Kilbride. “That, combined with my endless supply of energy and my passion to serve Maui’s families, makes it very easy for me to make a difference.”
Backpack Buddies of Kamalii School helps hungry children by providing nutritional meals and snacks to youth whose primary source of food is the school cafeteria. The organization gives these children backpacks with food items to sustain them until returning to school for a meal. Hospice Maui helps terminally ill patients on Maui with in-home care, grief support and counseling.
Sign up for the gold tournament by calling Mulligan’s at 874-1131. To sign up for extreme bocce, contact Kilbride at 264-4289 or by email at pkilbride@tghawaii.com. You can also get registration forms at hospicemaui.org/sharing.html.
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