Service Projects
Service Projects
2023 Hawaii Special Olympics
Due to the pandemic, The Hawaii Special Olympics was unfortunately postponed for the safety of the participants and volunteers. Now, in 2023, The Special Olympics was held for the first time in over 3 years where Team 359 volunteered through Castle and Cook Hawaii. Although, only half of the special Olympics were held at UH Manoa while the other half was held at Kaiser High School. Team 359 volunteered at UH Manoa alongside other volunteers to prepare and pack lunches for the participants with a variety of foods to chose from. Because only half of the Special Olympics were being held at UH Manoa, students were only assigned to make half as much as previous events, but our students still worked hard to make sure the participants had enough to eat! We are happy to finally be able to volunteer to help The Special Olympics again, and hope to be there again next year!
Haleiwa Bon Dance: Floating Lights
Team 359 had the opportunity to participate in the Haleiwa Bon Dance releasing floating lanterns into the water as a tribute to our deceased loved ones and honoring our life as we continue to seek happiness. Members of our community came together at North Shores Buddhist Temple to carry lanterns down to the shores of Ali’i Beach Park and release these lanterns into the ocean. Due to the pandemic the 2022 Bon Dance was instead held virtually for the safety of our community. Although we weren’t able to go to the Bon Dance in person, we are glad that we had the opportunity to participate in the Floating Lights event and pay respect to our loved ones who have passed away while celebrating the Bon Dance virtually with our families! We hope that next year we can safely celebrate the bon dance with our families and friends in person and hopefully continue to bring our community together and honor those who have passed away with the lanterns for time to come.
KITV News Interview
The team had the opportunity to show the state how our students and mentors have been making a difference in the community. Our local news station KITV News visited the 359 facility and interviewed some of our members. Catalytic converter theft has been a rising issue, particularly in the past couple of months. Using our materials and machines, we were able to find a solution and help our community protect their vehicles. This project has helped our students design and create products that work to help improve our community. KITV News was interested in learning more about our project and allowed us to share one of our contributions to our community. We are glad our team can implement the things we are learning in our program to help find solutions to problems in the real world.
Hawaii Annual Special Olympics
The Hawaii Special Olympics is hosted every summer; local athletes participate with the public cheering them on. Team 359 volunteers through Castle and Cooke Hawaii, preparing and distributing packed lunches for participants and fellow volunteers. The packed lunches are prepared in a wide range of meals with options such as grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers, hotdogs, and more. By helping feed the hardworking keiki and adults at the event, our team has the opportunity to love and serve others. Preparing lunches may not seem like much, but volunteering at a non-robotics event allows our students to spread the FIRST/359 mission and have a great time doing it! At the end of our shifts, we get to spend the rest of our day supporting the athletes representing our Waialua community.
Waialua Community Bon Dance Festivals
Another outreach event our team looks forward to volunteering at every year are the locally hosted Summer Bon Dances. Team 359 volunteers at the three Missions of North Shore, including the Waialua Hongwanji Mission, the Haleiwa Shingon Mission, and the Haleiwa Jodo Mission. To give back to our generous sponsors, we offer our assistance in any area needed. Some services performed include setting up before the event, running concession stands (where all proceeds go to respective organizations), and breaking down and cleaning up at the end of the night. For the Haleiwa Jodo Mission, our students can even assist in the releasing and later cleaning of lanterns on the shores. As a team, we bond over the celebration of all ancestors, although we may not necessarily be associated with the culture or people. The environment provides our team with an opportunity to experience one of the many wonders our community has to offer and get a taste of a rich culture that some of us might not have been able to experience otherwise.