Hawaiian Canoe Club Awarded $15,000 from Saltchuk

Kimo Haynes presents a check to Hawaiian Canoe Club club manager Ka‘ili Moikeha and several youth paddlers. From left: Bella Broderick, Ka‘ili Moikeha, Tristen Matsuura, Kamahiwa Molitau, Evan Recopuerto, Nainoa Riglos, Madison Eiting, Jaden Givensel, Kanai Fisher, Kimo Haynes.

Hawaiian Canoe Club recently received a $15,000 grant from Seattle-based Saltchuk Resources, Inc. to support the club’s summer programs for Maui youth.

The funds will support a seven-week program that enables children as young as 10 to challenge themselves physically while learning about Native Hawaiian culture and the environment.

Kimo Haynes, president of Maui Petroleum/Hawaii Petroleum, a Saltchuk company, presented a check to members of the Hawaiian Canoe Club at the club’s headquarters at Hoaloha Park in Kahului.

“We are grateful for this generous grant from Saltchuk Resources,” said Dave Ward, president of the Hawaiian Canoe Club’s board of directors. “Each summer, our kids paddle to the different islands: Kahoʻolawe, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi. Our kids also take on projects like planting native trees and restoring trails, which builds their understanding of our island culture and natural resources. We rely on donations and grants to make sure all young people, especially those from low-income families, are able to participate.”

Founded in 1960, Hawaiian Kamali‘i, Inc. dba Hawaiian Canoe Club has a mission “to perpetuate and preserve the art of Hawaiian canoe paddling by providing an environment rooted in traditional Hawaiian values that promote personal growth, character development and achievement in physical fitness.”

The Saltchuk Resources, Inc. Hawai‘i Regional Giving Committee makes impactful gifts to the Hawaiian communities in which Saltchuk companies operate. Regional giving is focused in the areas of post-secondary education and youth development.

Saltchuk companies operating in Hawai‘i include Aloha Air Cargo, Young Brothers/Hawaiian Tug & Barge, Maui Petroleum/Hawaii Petroleum and Minit Stop.