Special Olympics West Hawaii

BBC News has an interesting article about scientists in the United States transforming a simple beach buggy into an experimental car for the blind to drive. Here is an excerpt:

The vehicle will be fitted with technology that allows a blind person to drive independently, the NFB and Virginia Tech University said.

Non-visual aids include sensors indicating turns in the road via vibrating gloves.

Puffs of compressed air on the face will alert the driver to obstacles.

Other aids to be fitted include a vibrating vest to give feedback on speed and a steering wheel with audio cues and spoken commands indicating the car’s direction.

To read the entire article, visit the BBC News Website at news.bbc.co.uk or click here.

Please enjoy the following photos taken during Special Olympics West Hawaii’s annual fundraiser, Cop On Top. To learn more about the event, read the fantastic articles written by West Hawaii Today reporter Chelsea Jensen and Hawaii247.com.

View the entire album of awesome photos taken by Nikki Cleintuar and other SOWH volunteers by clicking here.

West Hawaii Today reporter and Special Olympics West Hawaii Blog editor Carolyn Lucas wrote an awesome article about the Troy Barboza Law Enforcement Torch Run, which benefits Special Olympics. The story was published April 12 and can be viewed on the newspaper’s Web site. Here’s an excerpt:

Speech wasn’t necessary to communicate 18-year-old Isaiah Wong’s joy Sunday.

The nonverbal Special Olympics West Hawaii athlete clutched tightly in his hand the “Flame of Hope,” smiled enormously upon seeing the crowd gathered at The Club in Kailua-Kona and finished the Troy Barboza Law Enforcement Torch Run with heart.

“I’m speechless. There are no words to describe our gratitude for Special Olympics. This organization means so much to Isaiah and our close-knit family,” said Norma Wong, his mother. “Isaiah has autism. This is his second year with Special Olympics, which has helped him grow socially, boost his self-confidence and fulfill his passion for competition. It’s also something that brings us even closer to together as a family.

Please enjoy the following photos taken by fantastic SOWH volunteer Nikki Cleintuar. To view the entire album, click here.

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.”

West Hawaii Today’s Sports Department wrote a fantastic brief about the Special Olympics West Hawaii athletes that participated in Summer Games powerlifting competition. The brief was published June 9 and can be viewed on the newspaper’s Web site. Here’s an excerpt:

Kailua-Kona’s Adrian Cleintuar took first place in the 198-pound weight class of the Special Olympics Hawaii State Summer Games powerlifting competition, which took place May 28-31 at the University of Hawaii.

Cleintuar lifted a combined 665 pounds, with a squat of 215 pounds, a bench press of 190 and a deadlift of 260. Patrick Dungate, also of Kailua-Kona, placed third in the five-competitor 198-pound class with a combination lift of 395 pounds (55 squat, 95 bench, 245 deadlift).

Two other Kailua-Kona competitors fared well in the 220-pound class.

Isaiah Wong took second overall by lifting a combined 880 pounds (270 squat, 205 bench press, 405 deadlift). His deadlift topped that of the five other participants in the weight class.

Ray Donager placed fourth with a combination lift of 705 pounds (235 squat, 185 bench, 285 deadlift).

Denise Lindsey and Steve Strand coached the West Hawaii quartet.

West Hawaii Today reporter and SOWH blog editor Carolyn Lucas wrote an article about Kalamaku, a ministry of Mokuaikaua Church enabling people with disabilities to experience the joy and passion of outrigger canoe paddling. The article, featuring SOWH athletes, was published Monday, May 4, and can be view on the newspaper’s Web site. Here’s an excerpt:

It is in the outrigger canoe that Shannon Salas feels the most proud.

He feels like a champion when gliding to shore with his teammates, slicing the ocean in unison and seeing his sister cheer for him at end of Kailua Pier. There, in the canoe, he is able to soar above and defy expectations.

Things that separate him from others seem to disappear. Instead there’s an ocean of possibilities and a desire to do his best.

West Hawaii Today freelance photographer Brad Ballesteros took the following fantastic photos of Kalamaku, of which you can spot some familar faces. He gave his permission, allowing SOWH to use his images and captions on this blog. He hopes you enjoy his work.

Kahu Brian Boshard shakes the hand of Murray Williams, a Kalamaku and SOWH participant, before racing in the Kai Opua Businessmen’s Canoe Regatta Sunday, May 3.

During the 10th annual Kai Opua Businessmen’s Canoe Regatta, two Kalamaku teams competed against each other in the adaptive paddling division. It was their first competitive activity of the year.

To get involved or learn more about Kalamaku, contact Kahu Brian Boshard at 937-3208, Mesepa Tanoai at 936-6695 or Roger and Karen Kloepping at 327-9673.

Special Olympics West Hawaii thanks the many people — individuals, law enforcement officers, businesses, organizations, sponsors and local media — who made our annual Fueling Dreams fundraiser at the Queen Kaahumanu Tesoro station a huge success.

Because of your extraordinary efforts, generousity and pure aloha, $4,121.73 was raised in two days. All of the raised money will stay in West Hawaii. It will be used to help our athletes attend competitions on Maui and Oahu, as well as pay for sports equipment and uniforms.

Monetary gains such as this also help Special Olympics West Hawaii fulfill its purpose of providing year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. By participating in such sports, physical fitness and healthcare education programs, athletes increase self-confidence and social skills, improve physical and motor skills, and have better success in leading more productive and independent lives.

We would like to give a special kudos to the Hawaii Police Department, U.S. Customs, Tesoro Hawaii, Knights of Columbus, and West Hawaii Today. You rock!

Also, thanks to Hawaii247.org and KonaWeb.com for announcing and sharing the event with the online community.

West Hawaii Today reporter Erin Miller wrote a fantastic article about the Fueling Dreams fundraiser, which was published April 3 and can be viewed on the newspaper’s Web site. Here’s an excerpt:

The smiles on athletes’ faces as they play their hearts out and the high-fives afterward, no matter the final score — those rewards are the driving force that keep volunteers like Walter Ah Mow at events like the Fueling Dreams fundraiser for Special Olympics that ends Friday afternoon.

“To see their faces, no words can explain it,” Ah Mow said.

Ah Mow, a detective, was one of several police officers and other volunteers who spent about six hours on Thursday turning the self-serve Queen Kaahumanu Tesoro station into a full-service experience. The change was done at no charge, but other Special Olympics volunteers, athletes and their families were standing by to talk more about the program and ask for donations.

Congratulations to all for a job well done. Mahalo for fueling dreams.

Please enjoy the following photos, taken by SOWH volunteer coordinator KC Strand, at this year’s event. To see the entire album, click here.

In the Sept. 18 edition of the Honolulu Advertiser, there was an Editorial about the state Department of Education needing to stand firm in its decision to reinstate the funding for Special Olympics Hawaii and the newspaper is asking the public to vote on the issue.

Nip Ho, vice president of Area Services for Special Olympics Hawaii, is urging everyone to visit www.honoluluadvertiser.com/opinion and vote YES to the following question: Should the Board of Education restore funding for Special Olympics.

“In the Editorial it talks about a grant that SOI has for Youth Programs, Special Olympics Hawaii has already received this grant which is helping to pay for our Sports Day and Unified Programs. The money that they speak of has already been placed into our budget for this fiscal year and cannot be reallocated to cover the shortfall from the DOE,” Ho said. “There is no way that Special Olympics Hawaii will be able to find new ways of raising money in the year 2008 and we will struggle to develop a method to raise an additional $130,000 for 2009.”

With the support of the many family and friends of Special Olympics, Ho hopes to change the course of the BOE and that our “public outcry” will make a difference. He thanked everyone for their continued support and dedication to the athletes of this program.

For more information about this issue and Special Olympics Hawaii, contact Ho at program@specialolympicshawaii.org or 943-8808 ext. 23.

Lawrence Clark Powell once said, “Write to be understood, speak to be heard.” Anyone who would like to personally urge the BOE to reinstate the funding or express their concerns about its actions can send a letter to P.O. Box 2360, Honolulu, HI 96804. The BOE can also be reached via e-mail at BOE_Hawaii@notes.k12.hi.us, by fax at 586-3433 or by phone at 586-3349.