Friday, July 26, 2024

Local University of Hawai‘i basketball players and coaches from both the men’s and wāhine teams partnered with the aio fellows to host a special basketball clinic for the children of Kahauiki Village last Friday. 

The clinic provided Kahauiki Village children the opportunity to learn basketball fundamentals from experienced university players and coaches. Participants engaged in skill-building exercises, drills, and friendly competitions designed to foster teamwork and boost confidence. 

“Kahauiki Village is an important place that has helped qualified families get into homes,” said Cole Mausolf of the aio fellows. “aio has been a partner of Kahuaiki since its inception and the aio Foundation continues to support the children’s program. Our group wanted to do something meaningful for the Kahauiki keiki, and sports is such an integral part of growing up and learning important life skills. Through our collective relationships and resources within each of our brands, we thought this would be a great way to help our community.”  

A total of 26 players and coaches came to facilitate the basketball clinic of 40 Kahauiki Village children. Some of the volunteers included Kelsie Imai, junior, guard from the Wāhine team and Aaron Hunkin-Clayton, incoming freshmen, guard on the men’s team.

In addition to the clinic, the Fellows are spearheading an equipment drive to provide much-needed sports gear for the village. They are actively seeking donations from individuals and businesses to ensure that the children have access to quality equipment for ongoing recreational activities. 

Individuals or organizations interested in donating sports equipment or supporting the initiative can contact Shantel Ripani at [email protected]or visit ihshawaii.org/kahauiki. 

The aio Fellows is a career development and leadership program for employees across the aio family of companies. In its third year, the cohort members for 2024 include Meshal Albaiz of Upspring Digital, Cole Mausolf of ESPN Honolulu, Shantel Ripani of WKF, Inc., and YongChae Song of Hawaii Business Magazine.