Special Olympics West Hawaii

West Hawaii Today reporter Chelsea Jensen wrote a great followup article about Cop on Top, the annual fundraiser for Special Olympics West Hawaii. The story was published Sept. 12 and can be viewed on the newspaper’s Web site. Here’s an excerpt:

While the Cop on Top event in Kailua-Kona earlier this month may not have netted Special Olympics West Hawaii’s goal of $15,000, the $13,101 donated will help the organization purchase equipment and uniforms, train coaches and send athletes to area and state Special Olympics tournaments this fall and winter, said Special Olympics West Hawaii Area Director Dave Ross.

“We had a good turnout, people were very generous. Our goal was $15,000, which we didn’t reach, but we made more money this year in a bad economy than last year when the economy wasn’t that bad,” Ross said, noting that the 2008 event netted about $11,300 in Kona. “Thumbs up to everybody.”

West Hawaii Today reporter Chelsea Jensen wrote a fantastic article about Cop On Top, an annual fundraiser for Special Olympics West Hawaii. The story was published Sept. 4 and can be viewed on the newspaper’s Web site. Here’s an excerpt:

Thursday, at 6 a.m. sharp, officers climbed atop 20 feet of scaffolding, perching themselves above the Kailua-Kona Safeway parking lot calling upon customers to donate any extra money to the West Hawaii athletes.

Ah Mow and Sgt. Rollin Rabara, who are both using personal vacation time to participate in the event, will eat, sleep and collect donations for more than 50 hours this weekend. When night arrives, the music will quiet and Rabara and Ah Mow will nestle into their sleeping bags knowing that at 6 a.m. sharp, it’s time to continue raising funds for the athletes.

The officers will not step down until 2 p.m. Saturday, even if they make their goal of collecting some $15,000 for West Hawaii athletes before then, said Ah Mow, noting that throughout the three-day fundraising event other officers, as well as cadets, join in the effort.

“Just to see the faces on these athletes is why we do this — it’s total satisfaction and we are blessed to do what we can for these athletes,” Ah Mow said.

If $15,000 isn’t collected during the Labor Day weekend, officers will remain at the site until the goal has been reached, said Special Olympics West Hawaii Area Director Dave Ross.

“It takes a lot of passion to do it. It’s all about trying to make a difference in people’s lives,” said Rabara, who has also stood atop the scaffolding with Ah Mow for the past six years. “It’s even more gratifying to make a difference in someone else’s life who may not live what we feel to be a normal life.”

The Hawaii Police Department will reach new heights next month to support Special Olympics West Hawaii, a year-round program dedicated to helping children and adults with intellectual disabilities improve their quality of life through sports.

For Cop On Top, local police officers will spend held Sept. 3 through Sept. 5 in the air on scaffolding at the Safeway on Henry Street in Crossroads Center in Kailua-Kona. They will rally support and drop buckets below to those passing by for donations to SOWH.

This year’s goal is to raise $15,000 and the police officers will actually sleep in the scaffolding for the three night — or until the monetary objective is reached.

All funds raised will stay in West Hawaii to be used for the SOWH program and its athletes. Cop On Top is SOWH’s biggest fundraiser of the year. SOWH is a nonprofit organization that is funded by donations, said SOWH Area Director Dave Ross.

SOWH helps athletes develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skill and friendship with fellow athletes, families and the community. SOWH teams compete in Area Games on the Big Island and on Maui in order to qualify for the State Games on Oahu, where Special Olympics teams throughout the Hawaiian Islands compete for medals, Ross said.

SOWH appreciates the support the local community and makes giving back a priority. Annually, SOWH participates in service projects like beach cleanups, tree plantings, as well as runs aid stations for Ironman events, Kona Marathon and the Visitor Industry Charity Walk, Ross said.

Here are some ways the public can help with Cop On Top:
* MAKE A DONATION – When you do your Safeway shopping Sept. 3 through Sept. 5, contribute. Or, thank the local police officers, athletes, volunteers and Safeway employees for their time and effort in supporting and promoting SOWH.
* GET INVOLVED – Become a part of this Fundraising event. Volunteers are needed to solicit donations and give information about SOWH. Those interested in volunteering should contact SOWH Volunteer Coordinator KC Strand at zionvideos@yahoo.com or 315-7944.

Special Olympics West Hawaii is hosting its first-ever Ohana Jam Fest Aug. 30 at the Keauhou Kona Yatch Club on Keauhou Bay.

From noon to 8 p.m., there will be performances by local bands, food, drinks, and door prizes donated by Big Island businesses.

Attendees are asked to give a $10 donation as a suggested admission. All the proceeds will go to SOWH, a free, year-round program dedicated to helping children and adults with intellectual disabilities improve their quality of life through sports.

SOWH helps athletes develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skill and friendship with fellow athletes, families and the community. SOWH teams compete in Area Games on the Big Island and on Maui in order to qualify for the State Games on Oahu, where Special Olympics teams throughout the Hawaiian Islands compete for medals. SOWH is a nonprofit organization that is funded by donations, said Area Director Dave Ross.

The money received goes toward transportation and housing costs, sports equipment, coaches training, and local events such as community barbeques. SOWH appreciates the support of the local community and makes giving back a priority. Annually, SOWH participates in service projects like beach cleanups, tree plantings, as well as runs aid stations for Ironman events, The Kona Marathon, and The Visitor Industry Charity Walk, Ross said.

For more information about the Ohana Jam Fest or SOWH, contact Ross at 345-1344 or sowhdave@yahoo.com. Also visit www.sowh.org.

Special Olympics West Hawaii athletes and volunteers donned their official shirts and worked Aug. 16 alongside Denny’s Restaurant employees as waiters and greeters to raise funds and awareness for SOWH.

The Project Compassion event was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Kona and Denny’s. Corporate sponsors included Great American Self Storage and Sign-a-Rama.

From 4 to 9 p.m., Denny’s donated 100 percent of the tips received, as well as 20 percent of all food and drink sales, raising nearly $1,500 for SOWH. All of these funds will stay in West Hawaii to help pay for uniforms, equipment, transportation, competition, coach training and leadership opportunities for SOWH athletes.

Volunteers had a great time taking orders, serving, greeting customers and chatting with folks about SOWH. All the extra “apprentices” in the service areas turned Denny’s normally smooth and efficient operation into a crazy party scene, but “real” Denny’s employees were extremely gracious and accommodating. Several employees said, “We do this once a month – it’s no problem we’re happy to help!”

SOWH sends a very big mahalo to all the wonderful Denny’s people. It also wanted to thank The Rotary Club of Kona for naming SOWH the Project Compassion recipient for the month of August. Another mahalo goes to Rotarian, SOWH volunteer and head swim coach Holly DeGeal,who got SOWH a spot on the Rotary Club’s meeting agenda this month, where SOWH Area Director Dave Ross, along with athletes Casey Haydon and Adrian Cleintuar, gave a presentation to the Rotary membership. Recognition also goes to Great American Self Storage and Sign-a-Rama for their ongoing support and volunteers.

As always, SOWH appreciates the people at the heart of this program whose year-round efforts and enthusiasm make it work: Ross and his team of SOWH athletes, volunteers, coaches and families.

Please enjoy the following photos, taken by SOWH Volunteer Coordinator KC Strand, during the Project Compassion event. To view the entire album, click here.

What local nonprofit organization provides sports training, on- and off-island competitions and receives no state or federal funding? What group is entirely run by volunteers and does not charge the participants and the participant’s families any training or travel expenses? If you guessed Special Olympics West Hawaii, you would be correct.

Hawaii Island residents and visitors will be able to support SOWH while enjoying a meal at the Kailua-Kona Denny’s Restaurant between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Sunday, August 16. Denny’s will donate 100 percent of the tips received during this time and 20 percent of all food and drink sales to SOWH.

Project Compassion is a partnership between the Rotary Club of Kona, Denny’s Restaurant and several non-profit organizations in Hawaii. The monthly events have raised awareness for many Big Island non-profits and thousands of dollars to support their programs. All proceeds from the events go to the participating charities.

Special Olympics, founded over 40 years ago by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, believes that people with intellectual disabilities can participate in and benefit from participation in team and individual sports with the proper instruction and encouragement. Local and statewide competitions give these athletes the opportunity to measure personal growth and promotes the physical, mental and social development of the participants. Families are strengthened and the broader community benefits from seeing these athletes grow and participate in sports activities.

SOWH’s activities include basketball, softball, T-ball, track & field, swimming, power lifting, soccer and Bocce. All activities take place in an environment that promotes equality, respect and acceptance.

The Athlete’s Oath of Special Olympics is: “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” This oath signifies the importance of competition, personal effort and good sportsmanship.

The monies raised from the Project Compassion fundraiser will go toward supporting the Special Olympics West Hawaii’s programs and mission. This includes providing funds for transportation, uniforms and equipment. 

Residents and visitors are encouraged to enjoy a meal and support a wonderful local organization on August 16 at Denny’s. Reservations are not required.
For more information about Special Olympics West Hawaii, contact David Ross at 808-345-1344 or by email at sowhdave@yahoo.com. Also learn more about SOWH programs online at www.sowh.org.

To learn more  about the the Rotary Club of Kona’s Project Compassion, send an e-mail to Sue McConnel, who can be reached at samcconnel@aol.com.