Volunteer
One of the goals of ‘Ohana Wa’a Laulima is providing opportunities to individuals who normally wouldn’t be able to paddle on other teams. We take pride in being able to serve so many different Athletes all with a wide array of abilities.
In turn, our volunteers have a wide array of responsibilities when volunteering.
How Can You Help as a Volunteer
As a Paddler
Experienced paddlers, especially those comfortable steering or being a stroker are always needed.
Our priority is getting as many Athletes in the canoe as possible and sometimes that means having 4, 3 or sometimes just 2 volunteers in each canoe with our Athletes. We will try to get every volunteer time on the water, but we also need a lot of help on shore.
On Shore
Helping Athletes in and out of canoes (transfers). We would like to train all volunteers on the best practices of helping Athletes of all abilities in and out of canoes as getting in and out is one of the most common ways for any paddler to get injured
Holding the canoes while they are on shore is extremely important and often needs as many hands as possible.
Helping our Athletes with stretches and on-shore exercises. Every Athlete is expected to do warm-up stretches before each paddling session and we are working on incorporating strength training and other exercises to help improve paddling technique. Every volunteer should have basic knowledge on how to lead Athletes on these exercises.
Build relationships and get to know all of our Athletes and their families/support workers. ‘Ohana is part of our name because we are striving to foster a family style atmosphere in our club where everyone can feel welcome. Getting to know everyone and treating everyone with equal respect is paramount to that goal. Sometimes that means playing games on shore or sharing some of your knowledge and experience or sometimes it just means talking with them to make sure that no one is left on the side just waiting for their turn.
Behind the Scenes
Fundraising: As with all non-profits, fundraising is key to our groups survival. Our Fundraising committee meets at least once a month, but has several different projects planned throughout the year and we would love any input and help
Event Planning: One of our goals is to help provide new experiences for our Athletes. We often have events outside of canoe paddling such as participating in the Christmas and Merrie Monarch Parades. These events often take a lot of volunteer support to put together and any assistance would be greatly appreciated