Keauhou Canoe Club Raises $13,279 for American Cancer Society Patients

Keauhou Canoe Club raised $13,279.04 for the American Cancer Society at its third annual Paddle Against Cancer, with nearly 100 paddlers completing a five-mile race to fund travel assistance for Big Island cancer patients who must seek care on Oʻahu.

Rebecca Vandaele, the American Cancer Society's local director of development, said the funds will cover airfare, ground transportation, and Hope Lodge lodging for neighbor-island patients making the trip to Honolulu. The scale of that need is visible in one number: from 2019 through 2025, ACS provided 17,198 nights of free lodging to Hawaiʻi Island patients and their caregivers who needed somewhere to stay while undergoing treatment far from home.

KCC president Bill Armer said the club was "honored to support ACS" and noted that this year's total nearly doubled the club's contribution from prior editions. The fundraiser at Keauhou paired the five-mile paddle with a volunteer-prepared breakfast buffet and a silent auction, and it served as a tribute to members of the paddling community who have faced cancer as patients, survivors, or caretakers.

The $13,279.04 marks the largest haul KCC has generated for ACS since launching the Paddle Against Cancer.

In other Big Island sports news, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Vulcans softball team traveled to Japan for a week-long tour of exhibition games and cultural exchanges. Head coach Aisha Sueda's squad faced Josai University and Nippon Taiiku Daigaku (Nittaidai) in exhibition contests, while the itinerary also included cultural visits to Tenri University, Nara Deer Park, and Tsukiji Market in Tokyo. Sueda credited community fundraising and donor support for making the international trip possible, an investment in program visibility and player development that extends well beyond the field.