The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo kicks off its third Vulcan Challenge fundraiser on Tuesday, Sep. 17, in partnership with UH Foundation, to raise funds to support the Vulcan Athletics department.
Vulcan Challenge 2024 will run from Sept. 17 through Oct. 17 with the goal of raising $150,000 for immediate support of UH Hilo’s student-athletes in the 2024-25 academic year. The last Vulcan Challenge, in 2022, brought in $161,120 to support Vulcan Athletics.
“These contributions make a real difference for our student-athletes, enabling them to thrive both academically and athletically,” said UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin. “The funds raised directly contribute to their success and well-being, empowering them to reach new heights.”
The Vulcans are coming off a highly successful 2023-24 year, when UH Hilo re-captured the PacWest Conference Men’s Golf Championship and the PacWest Hawai‘i Challenge. One of UH Hilo’s proudest achievements was the academic performance of its student-athletes — setting a new program record by attaining an impressive grade-point average of 3.28, said UH Hilo Director of Athletics Patrick Guillen.
The Vulcans are now focused on this year with great anticipation and excitement, Guillen said.
“Embracing success also brings new challenges, and achieving success cannot be taken for granted,” Guillen said. “We are so fortunate the UH Hilo community is fueled by the momentum of our collective accomplishments and recognizes a unique opportunity to support Vulcan Athletics in the seasons to come.”
KTA Super Stores and the Taniguchi family are continuing their loyal support of the Vulcan Challenge, by matching the first $25,000 in gifts to the Vulcan Challenge.
“We are so grateful for Toby Taniguchi and his team KTA Super Stores and their steadfast support of the Vulcan Challenge and Vulcan Athletics,” Guillen said. “This is the third time they are making a $25,000 matching gift, and it is in loving memory of Koichi and Taniyo Taniguchi, KTA Super Stores’ founders.”
Donors can select a sport-specific program or choose to support the athletics director’s general fund, which will help in responding to urgent needs for critical services. Donations can also go toward supporting Vulcan Athletics sports medicine.
Digital forms of payment via PayPal, Apple Pay and Venmo are accepted.
For more information on how to support Vulcan Challenge 2024, visit UH Foundation’s Vulcan Challenge website.
FOR UH • FOR HAWAIʻI, The Campaign for the University of Hawaiʻi, is focused on raising $1 billion to support UH priorities on all 10 campuses across the state, including student success; research that matters; kuleana to Native Hawaiians and Hawaiʻi; sustainability, resilience and conservation; innovation and entrepreneurship; building Hawaiʻi’s workforce; and engaging our community. Learn more at uhfoundation.org/4UH4HI
Questions? / More Information
If you would like to learn how you can support UH students and programs like this, please contact us at 808 376-7800 or send us a message.
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The University of Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawai‘i System. The mission of the University of Hawai‘i Foundation is to unite donors’ passions with the University of Hawai‘i’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawai‘i and our future generations. uhfoundation.org
