Canoe ‘Gigts’ Generate Aid To Community

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Kailua High School’s canoe club is making full use of four canoes and a three-pronged trailer they got this month from the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation. But for this windfall, it wasn’t just a matter of saying “thank you.”

The Surfrider paddlers put in more than 4,000 hours of community service to earn them. In fact, all four Windward public high schools logged their 4,000 hours in order to receive a trailer and four brand-new “free” Mirage canoes.

The Kailua club cleaned up beaches, wiped out graffiti and assisted at the Malama Kailua. Coach Duane Samson, who started with the crew this season, credits assistant coaches Lance Karatti, Kaui Samson, Lauren Goto and Daryl DeMello, and his predecessor Henry Palakiko, with building the club’s strong foundation.

“There’s no doubt the Castle foundation and Kaneohe Ranch have done so much for the kids and the community in partnering on these projects,” Samson said. “It’s great to get the kids involved in something positive and in the community. It is a win-win situation.”

Kalaheo High School Canoe Club got its trailer three months ago.

“The kids are extremely excited,” said head coach Kisi Haine, who has been there since the club’s inception six years ago. “With the new trailer, we can haul three canoes instead of just two. These new canoes makes the students proud, and it enables us to go to the ocean.” Haine also is grateful to the foundation “for helping perpetuate high school canoe paddling.”

All 60 Kalaheo club members cleaned up beaches and manned fundraiser tents at the regattas. One group wrote letters to Hawaii soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Among Kahuku High’s volunteer efforts, they volunteered twice a month at Waimea Falls Audubon Park.

The Mirage canoes are made by Karel Tresnek, a Kailua craftsman well-known for his work. Tresnek’s son attended Kalaheo and his oldest son, Junior, is an excellent oneman paddler.

The project idea began with a meeting between the schools’ athletic directors and the foundation staff. The coaches explained at that time that the schools only had one canoe between them, and that they were borrowing canoes from other clubs.

As foundation executive director Terry George put it,“We decided, why can’t we use this as an opportunity to promote community service in our young people to give them a sense of pride in their accomplishments, so they can say they earned these canoes?

“It goes to show what happens when you unleash and motivate young people to serve the community and earn something for their school.”

The foundation channeled its grant of $157,000 through the Hawaii High School Athletic Association to purchase all 16 canoes for the clubs.