Shop! Score! Win!
Kalaheo High athletic director Mark Brilhante, HHSAA director Christopher Chun and Castle High athletic director Richard Haru are in the Shop and Score game, helping schools earn athletic gear by shopping at Times $250,000 is up for grabs
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program, and they put banners up in the two nearby Times stores to express gratitude to the community for its support.
“I can’t say enough about the community support,” says Haru. “Prior to (the budget cuts), when we did receive 100 percent of our funding, it still didn’t cover half of what our needs were. So you see the impact; it’s unbelievable. This program has been a boon for us.”
While Castle continues to reap the benefits of Shop and Score’s generous effort, other high schools are doing their best to share in the wealth. Kalaheo High School, Castle’s closest neighbor located between Kailua and Kaneohe, is one of those hoping to emulate the Knights’ success with the program. Mustangs athletic director Mark Brilhante, now in his second year at the helm, has looked to use some of Haru’s strategies when it comes to rallying the community in support of its “home” school.
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“Shop and Score is just one more tool we can use to assist the whole athletic department,” Brilhante says. “You see Castle with big numbers, so Richard has really helped with ideas of how to get out into the community and actually encouraging people to use Shop and Score for Kalaheo, and thanking them for their support. It really helps we can’t do it alone.”
According to Brilhante, Kalaheo reaped $2,200 from Shop and Score last year, and he is “hoping to get the community informed because our athletic program is growing, and the kids are really good. We never want to turn away a kid because of finances, so we’re looking for ways to encourage support for Kalaheo.”
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Shop and Score also has taken some of the burden off the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) and its efforts to subsidize high school athletics through the solicitation of community donations. In its “Save Our Sports” campaign started by former executive director Keith Amemiya, HHSAA has raised more than $1 million for high school athletics since the initiative began in 2009. And while members of the community can still donate to the SOS campaign log on to HHSAA.org for more details Shop and Score gives the community another avenue through which to support its schools.
“It’s another piece that helps fill in some of the gaps, and we’re happy with Times and the sponsors that support the program,” says HHSAA executive director Christopher Chun when asked about the importance of Shop and Score. “It helps the schools add to their budgets, and increase them in a creative way. (The SOS donation program) is still active, but it’s not as strong as before. Every year there are more schools that join (Shop and Score), and we’re thankful for this because not only does it benefit the schools, but it helps our organization and the state.”
In terms of making it easy for various communities to support the 60-plus schools reached by Shop and Score, Shintaku also credited the program’s sponsors: adidas, The Sports Line Company, Sterling Silver Meats, Paramount Export Produce, ConAgra Foods, Darigold, Pepsi, Kimberly Clark, Dreyer’s, Quaker and Love’s Bakery. “There are a few more sponsors (this year) that allow consumers to buy other products, everyday things that can actually earn points for the schools,” he says. “The main thing for customers to remember is to shop a lot and shop often!”
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