NIL Collective
Through its NIL collective, the Downtown Athletic Club Hawaii (DACH) facilitated visits by several University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine student-athletes to the Family Literacy Library at Kuhio Park Towers with nonprofit organization Hawaii Literacy.
I think it’s a great thing that the college has done, allowing college student athletes to make money. And it really helps us off the field and allows us to just focus on our sport and continue to do everything we do on the field.
– Brayden Schager, UH Rainbow Warriors Football Quarterback
University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors visit Family Literacy Library
In all, the UH student-athletes will be making 5 visits to the Family Literacy Libraries at Kuhio Park Towers and Mayor Wright Homes. Hawaii Literacy oversees the Family Literacy Libraries which are community centers where residents can borrow donated books, participate in weekly story hours and literacy activities, and receive help with homework.
“Hawaii Literacy is grateful for the time and energy these UH athletes are dedicating to our families,” said Jill Takasaki Canfield, executive director of Hawaii Literacy. “This visit was a fun opportunity for keiki at our Family Literacy Library to interact with positive role models. The Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine showed them that reading is cool and that taking care of yourself through exercise and healthy choices is important for success on and off the field.”
One in six adults in Hawaii struggle with reading and writing. Hawaii Literacy’s programs focus on those with the lowest literacy skills by helping disadvantaged children prepare for and succeed in school, providing adults with building basic literacy skills so they can do the everyday things many of us take for granted, and training hundreds of literacy volunteers to teach in our communities.
NIL has impacted my life in the way of easing me into the season and not having to worry where I am financially and being able to focus on my sport and give it my 100% effort. So, it’s just really allowed me to focus on what I came to Hawaii to do.
– Kate Lang, UH Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Setter
In addition to the Family Literacy Libraries, Hawaii Literacy provides the following programs, which touch 4,000 people each year in high need communities across Oahu, Kauai, and Hawaii Island:
- Adult Literacy – a free program that matches learners with trained reading and writing tutors in one-to-one tutoring sessions.
- Bookmobile – aims to close the youth literacy gap and helps children succeed in school by bringing books and literacy-related activities to underserved communities on Oahu and Hawaii Island.
- English Language Learner Program – an open-format class that helps adults of various reading and writing levels strengthen their English language skills.
- Digital Literacy Program – gives Workforce Resiliency Initiative participants basic computer training and provides technology tools such as broadband access and devices to public housing sites and other organizations that serve low literacy adults.