Our August so far...

Aloha gang!
Heading into the middle of August, we've been busy as ever!  August 6th was the 'Ohana Retreat which was pretty amazing! Great turn out, good fun, and beautiful people. Mahalo to everyone who came out to the event and a mahalo nunui to those who were in charge of creating and planning. Looking forward to next year for even MORE fun!

Last week we had the pleasure of having a Boy Scout troop out to paddle with us, it was their first time ever, and we were happy to have them!  If you'd like your group or organization to try canoe paddling, come on out! Give us a call at 801 913 8980 and we'll set it up! 

Last Thursday we were especially pleased to have two new paddlers join our ranks!!! Although they've always been hugely supportive of KALEA, volunteering, supporting, working hard at our events, we've never had them in the wa'a. Until now. And the fires been lit!!!! Mahalo to ka 'ohana Richards! Garin, Cheryl, Brianna and Garin Boy for all of your help all of the time, and we're excited to have Garin Sr. and Cheryl in the wa'a with us!!!
Don't forget, we're paddling this Thursday!!! All experience levels welcome, just come down and have a good time! 

COMMITTED TO OUR COMMUNITY

Na wa`a visiting na kupuna and the community out at Iosepa

This past Saturday saw Kalea participating in the festivities at Iosepa.  A few months ago, the Kalea board members came up with the idea to take the canoes down to Iosepa, wanting to share them with our community, and Uncle Mike Tejada was absolutely awesome in making that happen.  In his words, "The kupuna must be so happy to see these wa'a.  They're probably saying "Right on Filipino boy, bringing the wa'a to us to see." So funny.  But it was humbling for us to do just that.  To have our wa'a in the presence of the kupuna who reside out there at Iosepa was a special thing for us.  To be able to share our efforts with them, and our community was amazing.  People of all ages were excited to see them, for a lot of the younger ones, it was their very first time ever seeing an outrigger racing canoe.  To be a part of that excitement, being instrumental in showing the younger ones a vibrant part of their culture was incredible.  Mahalo to Uncle Mike and the Kalea members who were there, Mahalo nunui to the Iosepa Association, especially Aunty Pat Kamai for encouraging and allowing us to share these canoes with our community. 

You'll notice, we've been using the plural form, canoes vs. canoe.  That's because Uncle Mike (the guy is amazing!) has completed repairs on the second canoe and she is almost ready for the water.  Almost, because as is traditional and appropriate, some cultural protocols need to be performed prior to her entering the water.  "She" is "Naulu", the newest addition to Kalea.  Her name was given by Tina Cabiles-Carden, and here is some mana'o behind the name:

"Naulu is a wind, clouds, a rain.  As a wind, it bears forth the Naulu clouds, which hold the Naulu rain. Naulu resides on the island of Niihau, where the drenching rain permeates the aina, encouraging, calling forth growth.  Naulu resides on the island of Maui, on the eastern slope of Haleakala, where it reaches forth to Kahoolawe, and bringing healing, rejuvenating, life giving sustenance to the soil there, encouraging luxuriant growth and renewal.  Naulu resides on the island of Hawaii. In Kawaihae, where the sudden showers are a blessing, bringing relief from the heat. 

Naulu now also resides here. In Utah. With us, within our community.  A vessel that encourages growth and the continuation of our culture.  Naulu compels us to embrace our community and assist in its growth and participate in its renewal.  It is a pathway for that which is ancient to reach across and embrace the younger generations.  Naulu provides soothing relief and healing to those of us who are longing for home.  Eia `o Naulu..."

MAHALO NUI!

Mahalo to everyone who came out to our first open paddle!!! We look forward to the growth of KALEA and all that we are poised to offer our Pacific Islander community.  Our paddling schedule is as follows:
TUES and THURS: 5pm - sundown
SATURDAY: 10am for Open/Casual paddlers and 2:30 for team members.

To better meet the needs of our community KALEA offers the following paddling participation tiers:

OPEN: Everyone is welcome to participate in 3 free OPEN paddle days.  OPEN paddles are sceduled and announced in advance and open to our community. You are still responsible for your parking fee of 5.00

CASUAL: Includes the three free days, and for merely 45.00 you can join our casual paddlers.  30.00 of the 45.00 pays for your insurance and that coverage extends for a calendar year.  The remaining 15.00 contributes towards the maintenance and repair of the canoes.  You are still responsible for your parking fee.  Casual paddlers are able to paddle at each practice session, the coach or board member will assist with coordinating with team members.

TEAM MEMBER: Receives racing jersey, is given first priority for paddling practices, is part of the core team that participates in canoe regattas/races, participates in community events and more. $140.00 a year covers insurance, canoe maintenance/repairs, parking and more.  For the breakdown please see tabs at the top of the page. 

Additionally, to be sensitive to the financial needs of our community, payment options are available as well.  If you are interested in learning more about these options, please contact us via email.

We are HYPED to begin our 2011 season!!! PLEASE FOLLOW US ON TWITTER  (teamkalea) TO RECEIVE THE MOST UP TO DATE INFO REGARDING PADDLING SCHEDULES.  This is the easiest way for us to get the word out should paddling be rescheduled or cancelled due to inclement weather.

MAHALO and we'll see you at the lake!

EXCITING, EXCITING EXCITING!!

The gang's getting antsy, lately there have been a few sunny days IN. A. ROW., and that means....PADDLING SEASON IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!! May 7th to be exact!  Please mark your calendars and join us down at Lindon Harbor for KALEA'S first Open Paddle of the season!! 3:30 pm, we'll be having a potluck, so please bring a dish to share! We look forward to seeing everyone at the lake!!!

Fundraiser Update and dates to remember

ALOHA! Hope everyone's been actively selling their laulaus!! If you'll recall, the goal was 50 laulaus per person.  As an incentive, **if you sell over 50 laulaus, you can use the additional sales to help offset your membership fee!!** That's an awesome deal, and a great incentive!  As a reminder, please forward the number of your total sales to our email address, you can find the link at the top of the blog. 
For the casual paddlers, or those who have never paddled before and would like to try, you can opt to pay $30.00 which is the cost of your insurance coverage for the season.  Not a bad deal at all.  Please note that the 30.00 only entitles you to insurance coverage, and does not include tshirts, or parking fees. 
Dates to remember:
February 14th (HAPPY VALENTINE'S!) First day of open enrollment

February 16th: FUNDS DUE FOR LAULAU FUNDRAISER

March 5th: **FIRST PADDLE OF THE SEASON** Weather permitting.  Either way, we will still hold an orientation for the new season.

March 14th: End of open enrollment.

April 9th: FIRST RACE OF THE SEASON IN TEMPE ARIZONA!!!

Again, we welcome everyone to come out and paddle, see you in the wa'a!