After winning the PacWest Community Engagement Award in 2013, the Hawai’i Pacific Athletics Department picked up where it left off for the 2013-2014 school year. HPU was involved in a variety of community service projects, both as department wide initiatives and as individual teams. The following examples are just some of the things HPU Athletics did last year.
One of the most successful projects was National Girls & Women in Sports Day. This was the best turnout HPU has had in the program that is run every year. Over 170 young women joined nearly 70 Hawai`i Pacific student-athletes and coaches on HPU's Hawai`i Loa Campus. Girls from ages four to 14 received instruction in eight separate clinics that included tennis, basketball, soccer and golf from female student-athletes at HPU.
During the basketball season HPU held the third annual Kam's Helmets Night. Free bike and skateboard helmets were given out to any student at halftime of a men's basketball game in remembrance of Kameron Steinhoff, a former HPU basketball player who died from a head injury suffered in a skate boarding accident. In the three year program, HPU has given away 750 helmets. The money to purchase the helmets comes from basketball ticket sales and donations.
The HPU SAAC set up a Make a Wish booth on campus several times to solicit donations for the charity. There was also a “pass the hat” initiative at several home events.
On September 21st, the Hawai`i Pacific Baseball Team participated in The Walk to Defeat ALS. The team was invited to walk by the widow of former Honolulu Policeman and Kamehameha graduate, Bully Naka'ahiki, who fell victim to the disease. The Sea Warriors were among nearly 500 walkers who easily surpassed their goal of $50,000, raising more than $70,000 for the cause.
Three members of the Hawai'i Pacific University men's basketball program travelled to Waianae Intermediate School to participate in the Million Word Campaign Kickoff. Seniors Farbod Farman and Leif Rodney joined junior Malte Ziegenhagen to promote literacy at the rural school located on the Leeward Coast. During the course of the Million Word Campaign, students are encouraged to read 250,000 words each quarter — or one million for the school year.
The Hawai`i Pacific Men's and Women's Golf Teams volunteered their time to one of Hawaii's most popular charity events, the 32nd Annual Easter Seals Hawaii Golf Classic at Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course on November 1st. Sea Warrior golfers acted as greeters and worked at the bag drop stations for the event that raised well over $120,000.
Hawai'i Pacific student-athletes representing men's basketball and the men's and women's soccer teams volunteered their time as coaches and officials to work with middle-school students at After-School All-Stars' Annual Sports Showdown. After-School All-Stars is a national non-profit organization that partners with schools across the United States to expand the learning day for low-income children. Its mission is to provide comprehensive after-school programs that keep children safe and help them succeed in school and in life.
The Hawai'i Pacific Softball Team hosted the 17th Annual Softball Clinic, there were two sessions, one for 16-18 year olds and another for 13-15 year olds. The clinics, which served over 80 local girls, were free and were hosted at Howard A. Okita Field on HPU's Hawaii Loa Campus with HPU softball players and coaches serving as instructors.
The Hawai'i Pacific Softball Team dedicated the last doubleheader of the season to breast cancer awareness. On senior day, the Sea Warriors wore pink and collected donations to help fight this disease.
The Hawai`i Pacific Women's Basketball Team volunteered at the Manoa Fall Fun Fair. Organized by the Manoa District Park, site of one HPU's practice facilities, the free event features several booths run by local organizations. The fair welcomes 300-400 of the community's youth to participate in face painting, inflatable jumpers and other carnival type games.
The Hawai'i Pacific Women's Soccer Team got into the fall harvest action, volunteering at Waimanalo Country Farms. Players from the team have spent multiple weekends volunteering in activities as diverse as helping out in the pumpkin patch, to operating the corn maze, to working in the animal farm tent.
On the Saturday prior to Easter, the women's volleyball team participated in the 25th annual Hawaii Food Bank Food Drive. At eight different locations all over the island of Oahu, volunteers collected food items and monetary donations. On this day the goal of the Hawaii Food Bank was to reach what it called the "Million Meal Challenge." By the end of the day, the Hawaii Food Bank announced that this not only hit this mark, but exceeded it.
This is just a sampling of the community services events that HPU Athletics has participated this school year. As most of our coaches will tell you, we start off as the givers but in the end the HPU student-athletes gain from these experiences as well as the public.
