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Success stories

Grant Program for Underserved Schools

11.18.2015

A Message from PCA-Hawaii Chapter Executive Director Jeaney Garcia

While PCA programs benefit all kids, they are especially beneficial for disadvantaged youth.  One of the primary indicators for long-term success in school and life is resiliency, and PCA helps increase resiliency in youth, both on and off the field.

Through grant support from American Savings Bank, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, Hawaii High School Athletic Association, McInerny Foundation, National Football League Foundation, and Queen Lili’uokalani Children’s Center,  we are creating a legacy of positivity throughout the State of Hawaii in underserved communities with our outstanding sports-based character education workshops and resources.

With this incredible grant funding PCA-Hawaii has impacted 24,877 students, delivering 58 workshops for 30 public schools, including the neighbor islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, and Molokai. Overall attendance:  1,927 athletes, 1,727 coaches, and 4,422 parents. Average attendance per workshop: Student-Athletes, 96; Coaches, 48; and Parents, 147.

While the leaders and Board of PCA-Hawaii are proud of our organization’s growth and success, we lack the capacity to seize many more opportunities available to us. Accordingly, we seek increased philanthropic support for our top strategic priorities, including extending our reach to thousands more children in underserved communities.

Your investment in schools, youth sports organizations and PCA-Hawaii will make it possible for us to pursue these important strategic priorities and continue to reach more young athletes, coaches, and parents in underserved communities through our life-changing programs. Through this partnership, we can create a generational impact by empowering entire communities with the character-education resources needed to develop better athletes and better people.

The ability to work with all key stakeholders (school leaders, coaches, student-athletes and parents) year-after-year through interactive, educational workshops would enrich the development of a state-wide culture that utilizes sport as a means of teaching character education and life lessons. It will also leave a lasting legacy, as the PCA lessons foster character development that last a lifetime and can break the negative youth-sports cycle forever.

PCA has a 17-year record of successful impact in promoting healthy participation in sports, which contributes to moral development, improves academic performance, has a significant impact on preventing delinquency and involvement in gangs, and decreases experimentation with drugs and alcohol.  But these effects occur primarily when adults foster a positive sports environment.  Research overwhelmingly shows that the quality of a child's sport experience depends on the quality of the adult leaders, especially the coach.  In many instances, a coach may be the ONLY positive influence in an underprivileged child's life, making it essential that PCA is able to work in all communities.

PCA is about community development for healthy lifestyles by providing proactive, pre-emptive solutions, in which we improve young people’s lives and society in general by teaching lasting life lessons through sports. Student-athletes are more active than the general population and more likely to stay in school, achieving 40% higher test scores and being 20% more likely to go to college and less likely to smoke and use drugs. Our vision is to create a sports culture where kids love to play the game and choose to stay involved, where they look forward to practices and games as times when they will have fun, and where they are able to benefit from the endless procession of teachable moments available in sports.

However, youth sports is afflicted by a win-at-all-cost mentality that filters down from professional sports and its "entertainment-money-business culture" that colors every level of sports and results in nearly 70% of youth dropping out of organized sports by age 13.  Let's work together to include critical character-education and emphasize achievement both on and off the field to keep kids in the game of life.

Founded in 1998 at Stanford University, Positive Coaching Alliance is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to developing “better athletes and better people.” We carry out this mission through a variety of research-based programs and resources designed to develop positive skills and character attributes among young student-athletes and their parents, coaches, sports leaders, and officials. The teachable moments in sports can help all involved learn valuable skills, character attributes, and life lessons, including communication, leadership skills, focus, persistence, and respect for self and others.

The testimonials from our partners below prove it!

Reid Shigemasa, Athletic Director, Pearl City High School
On behalf of me and our entire coaching staff, we had a great start to the school year as a result of our PCA workshop.  We have a wonderful auditorium where we also invited neighboring schools and we had a full morning of comprehensive training where PCA fit right into our program.  This outreach was possible through the HHSAA grant which made it free for all of us.  I saw the results right away with a lot more positivity among the staff as well as more patience with our student-athletes.  Please come back next year to get us going again.

Mike Ban, Athletic Director, Maui High School
I'll be filling out the feedback emails that you sent to me with nothing but high marks. Just wanted to thank you again for this super opportunity through such a generous grant.   It was a great experience and most importantly the kids and parents learned a lot. We had about 80% of the students there, taking notes on their phones or folders. Our athletic trainers came back and told me that the kids really enjoyed it. I was wondering if I could purchase more books? We ran out and kids and parents came up to me after the presentation wanting a book. Even our Principal wants a copy. You really made a difference here and I do hope you can give more workshops for us. Mahalo for all you’re doing!

Wendell Say, Athletic Director, Aiea High School
Great job with the football team!  I’ve never seen close to 100 boys all listening and engaged as much as they were.  They all enjoyed your presentation and several asked when you’re coming back.  You really rocked!  I wish we can do this every year with our team cause it makes a big difference.  You should’ve seen the practice right after the workshop, probably one of the best we’ve had in a while.  I will keep in touch to see how you can help us coaches be better too.  Thank you for giving us the grant money, we feel pretty special.

Lapule Schultz, Athletic Director, Anuenue High School

Anuenue School was transformed with the PCA workshop for our coaches. Our school cafeteria was filled with energy and lots of tools about how we can be better for our kids. This was just an excellent training where we will work hard to have the mastery mindset.  We are honored to have this grant funded workshop. Have a Great Day and Mahalo Nui Loa for the continued support and cooperation!

Laynie Sueyasu, Athletic Director, Castle High School

What a night!  I like that we’re a....TEAM…..CLAP!!!  Thank you all for making our meeting a success. I was ecstatic with the way you folks made it happen. The coaches felt motivated and inspired and appreciated the enthusiasm. Funny thing, even though we are all adults, we all wanted a sticker...LOL. I do appreciate the support from our community and as AD, it makes a difference when we all set the tone in a positive way. The messages were spot on, the manpower welcomed, the smiles were infectious, and the food was a huge bonus. We feel so fortunate to have been given this amazing grant. Thank you for getting our coaches out of their comfort zone and ready to go to make a positive difference in the lives of our students. The sharing was awesome. I look forward to working with you all at our next workshop!

Chris Chun, HHSAA Executive Director
I am excited that Jeaney has agreed to serve as our HHSAA Sportsmanship Liaison. We will be able to help make our communities stronger through essential character education to help leaders, coaches and parents understand how to better support and prepare student-athletes for winning and life lessons through sports.  

Susan Wada, Queen Liliʻuokalani Children’s Center, Ko‘olau Poko Unit Manager
Mahalo again for another wonderful night. Seeing over 300 parents really made my day! Thank you for your leadership in making this happen! This after-action report is what we need to keep us on task to justify use of our funds. We are making a positive difference in our communities. So, please continue to do this for us! Excellent program and customer service!

If you wish to help PCA-Hawaii advance this initiative in underserved communities, please click here to e-mail Jeaney Garcia >>.

Youth sports desperately need to create a space in which participants grow and flourish as athletes and as people. I call this a “Development Zone” in which everything that happens can be used to achieve the goal of developing Better Athletes, Better People.

Jim Thompson

PCA Founder & CEO