WAIPOULI — The Special Olympics Kaua‘i volunteers need to raise around $4,000 an hour to make their goal. That figure was arrived at shortly after the noon hour Friday, more than 24 hours after three Kaua‘i Police Department officers were
WAIPOULI — The Special Olympics Kaua‘i volunteers need to raise around $4,000 an hour to make their goal.
That figure was arrived at shortly after the noon hour Friday, more than 24 hours after three Kaua‘i Police Department officers were hoisted to the rooftop of the Safeway store in the Kaua‘i Village shopping center here.
“Things have been slow all around,” said Jocelyn Barriga, coordinator for Special Olympics Kaua‘i, Friday. “I just checked with O‘ahu and they said things are slow there as well.”
The three KPD officers, Sgt. Ezra Kanoho, Lt. Hank Barriga and Sgt. Mike Gordon, were raised to the roof by an Oceanic Time Warner Cable boom truck operated by Dennis Cortes at 6 a.m., Thursday, pledging to remain atop the roof until the goal of $25,000 is met, or until 2 p.m. today.
Special Olympics Kaua‘i athletes and their chaperones took advantage of a furlough Friday to turn out in force at the store, manning fishnets, tin buckets and other items to help collect funds.
The Cop on Top program is a fundraiser for the Kaua‘i Special Olympics program which relies solely on contributions for its mission to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Recently, the Special Olympics Kaua‘i hosted its spring track and field events at Vidinha Stadium, preceded by the annual Troy Barboza Memorial Run that carried the Olympic flame to Vidinha Stadium where a Special Olympics athlete was joined by KPD Chief Darryl Perry in lighting the caldron opening the games.
Also, a contingent of Special Olympics Kaua‘i swimmers returned from the regional swim meet on Maui with a strong showing in preparation for the summer games that will be held during the Memorial Day weekend at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa on O‘ahu.
Panda Express in Kaua‘i Village pledged 20 percent of each customer’s bill to Special Olympics Kaua‘i between the hours of noon and 8 p.m., provided diners come in with special promotional fliers.
Shoppers can claim premiums for their contributions as well. A $5 donation earns a Cop on Top window decal and the contributor is entered in a drawing to win free Safeway groceries.
A $10 contribution earns a Cop on Top recyclable grocery bag and an entry to a drawing for a $50 Safeway gift card.
A complimentary T-shirt or a travel mug is the premium for a $20 contribution, and for each $25 donation, contributors receive complimentary event caps or visors.
A $50 contribution earns a Special Olympics cooler bag or towel.
Jocelyn Barriga said supplies of the premiums are limited to what is on hand as the event winds down.
Additionally, for contributors not wishing to contribute to the carbon footprint of getting to Waipouli, donations can be made online through www.firstgiving.com/copontopkauai, a secured site. Contributors are able to provide a message with the online donation.
“With more children joining Special Olympics Kaua‘i each year, and programs for our athletes being funded solely through fundraising efforts, your donations are needed now more than ever,” said Shelly Gerardo, Special Olympics Kaua‘i public relations officer.
This year’s Cop on Top event, relocated from its previous September date, is made possible through the efforts of Safeway, Falko Partners, Ka‘iwa Construction, Ink Spot Printing, Oceanic Time Warner Cable, Gaspro, Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative and the Kaua‘i Kailani.
For more information, to enroll an athlete or become a volunteer, call 652-8662.
