KPAL gets strong community support for programs

LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Police Activities League recently was a recipient of some generous community contributions and would like to extend its appreciation.

Lorraine Newman and the Rosalyn and Joseph Newman Foundation contributed money which will help support the North Shore Basketball League scholarship fund as well as help with the operational costs of the new KPAL Youth Center in Kapa‘a, states a county release.

Additionally, contributions from the Florence Iwamoto Kaua‘i Fund will be used to start a new KPAL program, said Capt. Michael Contrades, the Kaua‘i Police Department Patrol Services Captain and KPAL Youth Center Director.

Steven Girald of Kaua‘i Freight Service contributed a 40-foot shipping container which will be used to store equipment, saving the KPAL program thousands of dollars, annually, in storage fees.

“It is only through the generosity of the community that KPAL can continue to offer programs to our youth,” Contrades said in the release. “We are truly grateful to everyone who contributes to the Kaua‘i Police Activities League.”

KPAL is a non-profit organization which has enriched the lives of thousands of youngsters over the years. KPAL strives to “fill playgrounds, not prisons,” by providing positive activities and role models for Kaua‘i’s youth in hopes of encouraging good behavior and helping them reach their full potential.

The program provides a variety of activities island-wide for young people between ages 5 through 18, or still in high school.

Call Mark Ozaki at 652-6999 or email Contrades at mcontrades@kauai.gov for more information on the KPAL program.