Inspire 2025 ANNUAL DONOR REPORT
Wilcox: A Family Commitment
Charlie King has deep roots in Hawai‘i. His family tree traces back five generations in the islands and features names like Alexander, Baldwin and Rice.
Along with their business success, his ancestors left a legacy of giving back. Charlie learned it from a young age; his mom, Mary Rice King, volunteered and his dad, Garfield King, spent 17 years as a trustee for Kauikeōlani Children’s Hospital, which became Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children. So, when Charlie started the car dealerships that bear his last name, it is not surprising his dedication to his community grew along with his businesses.
He volunteered with Kaua‘i Hospice; sat on the boards of Island School, Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy and Hawai‘i Community Foundation; as well as served on the Wilcox Medical Center board and as president of Wilcox Health Foundation.
Charlie spent a lot of time at Wilcox helping the medical center grow and expand. But in 2025, an accident gave him a new perspective of the excellent care its medical teams provide.
He was riding near his home in Kukuiʻula when his bicycle hit a rough patch and flipped. Charlie’s body hit the handlebars. Doctors at Wilcox’s Emergency Department determined his small intestine had been severed. Surgery to repair it was successful, but infections required more operations. He spent 29 days in the hospital, where the Wilcox team took great care of him.
“The staff, everyone who works there, was very kind,” Charlie said. “My dealership had a jingle that said, ‘We’re lifetime friends,’ and that is how it feels at Wilcox.”
In gratitude, Charlie and his daughter, Sherry Niethammer, initiated a gift from his family foundation, the Garmar Foundation. The foundation has been a longtime supporter of Kapi‘olani. Now, its generous $50,000 donation will go toward Wilcox’s Emergency Department, which is Kaua‘i’s first and only Level III Trauma Center.
For Sherry, who serves on the Kapi‘olani Health Foundation board, the gift unites both sides of her family history. Wilcox Medical Center was named after her relative George Norton Wilcox.
“I like that I’m able to carry on the tradition that my family was building – giving back to ensure that the care for our community continues to move forward,” Sherry said. “Living on islands in the middle of the ocean, it is important that we’re able to provide services for everyone in Hawai‘i so they don’t have to go to the mainland,”