WAHIAWA, HI—The Downtown Athletic Club of Hawai‘i (DACH) and Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz today announced a $10,0000 donation to benefit the Wahiawa United football development program.
A fire in August at Wahiawa District Park destroyed thousands of dollars of equipment for the youth football program, which serves nearly 100 keiki ranging in age from nine to 14. The equipment included helmets, shoulder pads, tackling bags, and more, valued in the thousands of dollars. The program provides year-round opportunities for youth to participate in football.
“When the fire happened and we realized all that was lost, it was devastating for our kids in the program,” said Bryant Moniz Wahiawa United football coach. “We weren’t really sure how we could have a season this fall. And this generous donation from DACH and Sen. Dela Cruz will replace what we lost, ensuring that the kids can continue to play this season.”
Moniz, a former University of Hawai‘i football and Leilehua High School football player, coaches the Wahiawa United football development program and along with Coach Isaac Feleti, received the donation from Keith Amemiya, DACH president and Sen. Dela Cruz at Wahiawa District Park.
“After we learned about the fire and the impact it had on the Wahiawa youth football program, we knew we wanted to help and connected with Sen. Dela Cruz to see how we could help,” said Keith Amemiya, DACH president. “Sports are such an integral and important outlet for our youth, and the cost of equipment can be a barrier for a child to not participate.”
DACH donated $8,000 and Sen. Dela Cruz donated $2,000 for a collective donation of $10,000 that will be used to replace the equipment lost in the fire.
“Wahiawa is where I grew up in addition to representing this district for many years” said Sen. Dela Cruz. “I also wanted to do my part to support this program that has helped many youth. As we know, sports can be pivotal in developing our youth and providing them opportunities they may not have had otherwise.”
In addition to the donations from DACH and Sen. Dela Cruz, the ILWU Local 142’s Hawaii Longshore Division also donated a shipping container to Wahiawa United as a new storage space for the equipment that is larger and safer than the shed that burned.
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For more information on DACH, go to www.downtownathleticclubhawaii.org
About DACH
The Downtown Athletic Club of Hawaii is a non-profit organization devoted to supporting youth and sports programs and initiatives in Hawaii.
DACH was formed in 2012 by the owners and top executives of trusted downtown Hawaii businesses. DACH has held monthly luncheons, pau hana gatherings, and other events to support and raise awareness for youth and local sports in Hawaii.
Previous DACH events featured speakers such as former Hawaii NFL players Olin Kreutz, Manti Te’o, Marcus Mariota, and Chad Owens, former Major League Baseball All-Star, Shane Victorino, University of Hawaii coaches, and national sports personalities such as Neil Everett and Larry Beil.
DACH is spearheading the current Luna Strong fundraising campaign to support the Lahainaluna High School student-athletes and coaches whose homes were destroyed by this past August’s fire. To date, over $1,000,000 in cash and in-kind donations have been raised towards this campaign.
DACH’s previous fundraising efforts raised $131,500 to support the Molokai and Lanai High School Athletic Departments with their costly air and ferry transportation expenses and raised $30,000 for the Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance, an organization that was dedicated to helping over 1,200 college-bound athletes from Hawaii and American Samoa with athletic and academic scholarships, grants, and financial aid.