A third night of epicurean fundraising will join the Taste at Kapolei and Kapolei Uncorked events at Ko Olina during a week in September, Kapolei Rotary Foundation officials announced as they distributed $90,000 in scholarships to 43 needy public high school seniors from the West O'ahu region Thursday.

Yet to be named, the Sept. 6 event will be an exclusive dinner for about 100 people showcasing four to five courses by Chef Mavro at the Azul Restaurant within the J.W. Marriot Ihilani Resort & Spas, said Keola Lloyd, president of Kapolei Rotary Foundation.

The Taste at Kapolei event at Ko Olina's Fourth Lagoon on Sept. 8, now in its eighth year, will feature dishes from 17 restaurants for about 1,600 guests, with a corporate tent area featuring eight chefs for about 400 people.

A second event, Kapolei Uncorked, takes place Sept. 7 at Ko Olina's Lanikuhonua. Now in its second year, the event will feature about eight chefs for 400 guests.

The idea is to set up a string of events to make one "destination event," Lloyd said. "We're trying to get people to come from the outer islands and the Mainland. If they're going to come this far, they're not likely going to come for one event. We want a number of opportunities for these guests to experience."

Tickets go on sale for the events next month.

Besides college scholarships for the area's disadvantaged youths, money raised during the three nights of activities are being distributed among other youth or education-oriented groups, programs or projects who help put on the events or are affiliated in some way.

Of the students awarded scholarships this year, 16 are from Wai'anae, 13 from Kapolei, seven from Nanakuli, five from Campbell, one from Waipahu and one from Castle.

Maribell Pabalan, a Nanakuli senior, said winning the Rotary scholarship inspired her to apply for others that collectively will allow her to be able to afford to attend the University of Hawai'i-Manoa this fall.

Pabalan said she wants to "share with the world beyond Nanakuli the positive factors about this community such as our people's kindness, hospitality, heart and natural beauty."

The Billy Gardner Memorial Scholarship Award, named for a longtime Kapolei Rotary member who died recently, was given to Kapolei senior Matthew Bolusan.