Downtown Athletic Club of Hawaii Provides Scholarships to Lahainaluna High School Class of 2024 Graduates Attending Colleges Out of State

DACH Partners with the Maui Strong Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation to Provide $325,000 in College Scholarships

LAHAINA, HI (July 31, 2024) – The Downtown Athletic Club of Hawaii (DACH), with a $325,000 grant from the Maui Strong Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation (HCF), awarded scholarships to 13 Lahainaluna High School Class of 2024 graduates who will be attending colleges out of state this fall. Lahainaluna High School was founded in 1831 and is the oldest school west of the Rockies.

“DACH is pleased to partner with the Hawaii Community Foundation and its Maui Strong Fund to provide all Lahainaluna continent-bound graduates with critical financial resources,” said DACH President, Keith Amemiya. “From the COVID-19 pandemic that impacted their freshman year to the fires that impacted their senior year, the Luna Class of 2024 has endured a lot and we’re proud of their resilience, perseverance, and positive attitude under unimaginable circumstances.”

The scholarship funding provided can be used towards tuition, housing, meals, and other school-related needs. These graduates will be attending schools such as UCLA, Washington State University, Oregon State University, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Grand Canyon University, and Portland State University.

“All of us at Hawaii Community Foundation are honored to support the 13 Lahainaluna High School graduates and ensure that they can continue forward in the next chapter of their education journey,” said HCF CEO and President, Micah Kane. “Our Maui Strong Fund donors provided financial resources to uplift the Maui community and these scholarships offer hope and assurance to the students that we are all behind them, cheering them on.”

“Lahainaluna High School is grateful for the generous support of DACH and HCF,” said Lahainaluna Principal, Richard Carosso. “Coupled with the 168 Lahainaluna graduates who will be attending University of Hawaii campuses this fall, 85% of our graduates will be attending college, a record number in the 193-year history of the school.”

NFL Films Presents: The Lahainaluna High School Football Team

Mahalo to the many organizations and individuals across the country for their support, including the following:

National Football League – $120,000 (football equipment for the Lahainaluna High, Lahainaluna Intermediate, and Lahaina Chiefs Pop Warner programs)
Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund – $425,000
Oahu Interscholastic Association – $75,000
Central Pacific Bank Foundation – $50,000
Bank of Hawaii – $35,000
American Savings Bank – $25,000
First Hawaiian Bank – $25,000
U. Okada & Co., Ltd. – $25,000
Servco – $15,000
Riverdale Country School – $13,000
Names Family Foundation – $10,000
Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation – $10,000
Toronto Raptors and General Manager, Bobby Webster – $10,000
ESPN Honolulu – $5,000
Hawaii Pacific Health – $5,000
John & Janet Hudson – $5,000
Roy & Mary Sakamoto – $5,000
Takashi & Hisae Hisano – $5,000
Directors of Athletics Association of New Jersey – $3,000
Oregon Ducks Quarterback, Dillon Gabriel – $1,000
Houston Texans Kicker, Kaimi Fairbairn – $1,000
Washington Commanders Quarterback, Marcus Mariota, and his Motiv8 Foundation – Football cleats to all varsity and junior varsity football players plus shoes for all football coaches; $20,000 in cash to Lunas football program; $5,000 in cash to Lahaina Chiefs Pop Warner football program
Nike/ʻIolani Classic – Basketball shoes and other basketball supplies/equipment for all boys and girls basketball players
World Series Champion and Maui Native, Shane Victorino – Baseball/softball cleats and other supplies/equipment for all baseball and softball players
NBC Golf Commentator and Maui Native, Mark Rolfing – Golf equipment/supplies for all boys and girls golfers
Young Brothers – Four shipping containers
Hawaiian Airlines, Pagoda Hotel, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Zippy’s have all committed to cover the state tournament airline, hotel, ground transportation, and meal costs for all Lahainaluna state tournament teams this school year.
ESPN Honolulu is the official radio partner of the Luna Strong campaign.
aio Media and aio Digital are the official magazine and digital partners, respectively.
Professional Surfers, Carissa Moore (five-time world champion and Olympic Gold Medalist) and Ezekiel Lau – Surfboards to the Lahainaluna Surf Team
Soccer.com – Soccer cleats for the Lunas’ Boys and Girls Soccer teams
Two-time NCAA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, Jocelyn Alo – Softball bats and gloves to the Lunas’ softball program
Outrigger Resorts & Hotels – Hotel rooms and meals for the Lunas’ football team

In all, over $1,000,000 in cash donations plus hundreds of thousands more in in-kind donations have been received thus far.