ut group is in dire need of financial help to make it happenANAHOLA — The North Shore will be joining Pop Warner for competition this fall, but organizers say they’re in dire need of financial help. The North Shore Pop
ut group is in dire need of financial help to make it happenANAHOLA —
The North Shore will be joining Pop Warner for competition this fall, but
organizers say they’re in dire need of financial help.
The North Shore Pop
Warner Association’s district will be recruiting players from Anahola to
Ha’ena, and they’ll compete in the Kaua’i Pop Warner League’s Pee Wee and
Midget Divisions.
The North Shore Giants will be the Pee Wee team and the
North Shore Chiefs will be the Midget team. They will wear “Kaua’i” purple with
black and white trim.
The Kaua’i league’s other competing associations are
Kapa’a, Lihu’e, Koloa, Hanapepe and Kekaha.
The North Shore association
plans to suit up 70 players at a minimum cost of $13,000 — which is $13,000
more than the group’s starting point.
In addition, the association also
hopes to have cheerleaders, which would be an additional cost.
One
fundraiser has already been held and other fundraisers are being planned to
help cover the cost of equipment and operating expenses.
So far, just a
little over 10 percent of the equipment costs have been raised.
“The work
has been hard,” said association secretary Tracy Kuhaulua. “We have a petition
with 200 signatures to prove how interested everybody in our community is in
starting a great sport like Pop Warner here. We are in dire need of financial
help from any business or individual in the community, and we’ve solicited over
100 businesses. We will probably be working daily, because we feel the kids
deserve this jump start in life. Football is an excellent sport to teach our
youth.”
The idea for a North Shore Pop Warner Association came from Wilfred
Kaui of Anahola. A few years ago, an effort was made to start it up, but the
idea never came to complete fruition, mostly due to a lack of
participation.
A community meeting was held recently, and many North Shore
youths made verbal commitments and were ready to sign up.
“The meeting was
attended by many parents, grandparents and especially the players,” said
Kuhaulua. “All who came were seriously interested in what Mr. Kaui had to
say.”
Other board members are president Abraham Makanui, vice president
Benjamin Kuhaulua III and treasurer Kale Smith.
The association’s
headquarters are the Anahola Clubhouse Park on Kawelo St.
