the trash,” Tulensiu said. “I like helping other people and cleaning, so we don’t have a dirty island and world.”
the trash,” Tulensiu said. “I like helping other people and cleaning, so we don’t have a dirty island and world.”
Volunteering “helps people change the world, to make it beautiful and a nice place,” he added.
Talley agreed.
“It’s good to help other people,” he said.
Nahale said the team formed this year, and when he and others were planning for this season, volunteer work was on the schedule.
“Part of our vision was to have our kids actively involved in the community, so they understand the importance of giving back,” Nahale said.
He reminded his players about that importance, before letting them break into groups to take on different cleanup tasks.
“There’s a time for work and a time to play,” he said.
VFW Ladies Auxiliary President Beverly Skarnes and Treasurer Chris Verduzco took pictures of the volunteers and watched as they tackled the various jobs.
“It’s so much fun,” Skarnes said.
“It’s wonderful,” Verduzco added. “This was meant to be a community place. This is a huge step forward, because we’ll get the volleyball court done.”
The VFW center, named for Camero, a Waimea resident who was killed in Afghanistan in 2011, opened earlier this year to the public for some events, including fundraising dinners to offset the costs of renting the former Swing Zone site. Skarnes said the center is open now whenever the gate is open. She and Verduzco said the goal is to eventually have a picnic area, the sand volleyball court and an area to play horseshoes. Some of the older veterans have already offered to mentor children interested in learning about horseshoes, Skarnes said.
In addition to playing Pop Warner teams islandwide, the Leeward Steelers’ Mitey-Mites, for players 7 to 9 years old, were selected in a lottery on Friday to play in their division’s Super Bowl Dec. 6 in Florida. The team will be fundraising for the trip and will send about 20 players to compete. This is the first Big Island team to be selected for the Super Bowl and the first time any Hawaii Mitey-Mite team will get to play in the championship tournament, Nahale said.