NAWILIWILI — School just let out for the summer a week ago. But Tina Albao, the chief development officer for the Boys &Girls Club of Hawai‘i on Kaua‘i, had fears of the children not having enough supplies for the start of school, which has students back in the classrooms starting Aug. 7.
NAWILIWILI — School just let out for the summer a week ago. But Tina Albao, the chief development officer for the Boys &Girls Club of Hawai‘i on Kaua‘i, had fears of the children not having enough supplies for the start of school, which has students back in the classrooms starting Aug. 7.
Those fears were lessened when she found out that the annual Kukui Grove Back to School Bash is happening in July. As a reminder, she said to keep an eye on the Kukui Grove Center website to find out when the children can register to receive their free backpack of school supplies.
She also received an offer from the Hawai‘i Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association, whose conference is being held on Kaua‘i through Thursday at the Royal Sonesta Kaua‘i Resort Lihu‘e.
“We will have 94 schools from Hawai‘i represented at the conference,” said Hoku Haliniak, the HIADA backpack coordinator. “We would like to donate all backpacks collected to the Boys &Girls Club on Kaua‘i, from the HIADA.”
This was an offer Albao could not pass up.
“We thought it was a great opportunity to ensure we have supplies for the kids’ back to school,” she said.
Fred, a first-grade Boys &Girls Club Lihu‘e Clubhouse member, was not impressed. His mind was on the No. 5 from the McDonald’s menu as the group waited for the conference schedule to move along.
That all changed when the Boys &Girls Club members — ranging from elementary through high school students — were given the green light to claim more than 100 backpacks, as well as more than $100 in cash contributions on Tuesday.
“Oh, good,” said Haliniak, as more athletic directors dropped off backpacks ahead of the conference lunch. “This gets us past 100 backpacks.”
Another athletic director dropped off his contribution directly to Fred and other Boys &Girls Club members packing the HIADA contribution into containers for transport.
“This is a good one,” the athletic director said, placing the new backpack onto the growing pile. “This one is from Nevada.”
