I just checked my email and got this from Paula and Ace Salu of Pacific Islands Council of Oregon on their fundraising efforts for Samoan disaster relief. I liked to say thank you also to many of my readers for attending the event and for those contributing in this time of need, even in hard times. The email is as follows:

Hello families and friends,

The preliminary numbers are in, and we raised over $9,000.00 dollars for the Samoa Tsunami Fundraising Relief Dinner…. Outstanding!! And people are still donating online and sending checks in the mail.

Paula and I could not have done it without your support. Thank you to all families and friends that donated to the silent auction and dinner. Also for your help in setting and clean up afterward, Thank you, thank you!

To everyone that attended and donated I wanted to say thank you very much for your support and generosity. To St. Philip Neri Catholic Church for the use of their facility and the community support they showed… Much alofa!

A Big fa’amalo to Noho for providing the food and entertainment and co-sponsoring our fundraising event. Bruddah, Mahalo nui Loa.

As I leave with a final thought, I’m reminded of a Samoan proverb ‘Ua o gatasi le futia ma le umele’ which means ‘we must be of one mind in the undertaking’. I believe that together we can make a difference.

Mahalo,

Paula and Ace Salu

If you would still like to contribute, please visit PICO or Noho Hawaiian Restaurant for more information.

Great college games onhand today with local Islanders playing on several teams (Oregon, BYU, UCLA, etc.). I’ll try to update some of the games on Facebook on Hawai’i Football Fanatics Fan page and Twitter (@aweau). Hawai’i Football Fanatics will also continue to support University of Hawai’i Warrior Football (@hawaiiathletics) and Polynesian football players by providing gameday information through fellow bloggers, TomboAhi and Jodatoa.

Check out fellow blogger, TomboAhi’s blog (@tomboahi) for links to live Warriors game action. He also has a pre-game analysis . Gametime is at 5p HST.

Check out fellow blogger, Jodatoa’s blog (@jodatoa) for information on Polynesian National Football League (NFL) players affected by the Samoa disaster. If you want to donate to the relief effort, please see an earlier post and if you’re in the Portland, OR area, the Pacific Islands Council of Oregon (PICO) is holding a fundraising dinner on Wednesday, October 14, the following information is provided:

Tsunami Samoa Relief Fund Fundraising Dinner

When: Wednesday October 14, 2009

Time: 5-9 pm

Where: St. Phillip Carvlin Hall

2408 SE 16th Avenue

What- Samoa Relief Fundraising Dinner to aid Tsunami victims and relief efforts in Samoa

Hosted by Paula and Ace Salu and Noho Marchesi of Noho Hawaiian Restaurant
* Silent Auction * Live Entertainment * Raffle Prizes* Great Food
$30.00 donation per dinner plate

All donations and proceeds will go to Red Cross Samoa and the Tsunami Relief effort

“Help someone who can’t return the favor” Author unknown

For more information go to PICO or Noho Hawaiian Restaurant

I’ll try to catch up with you tomorrow with NFL updates. In the meantime, GO WARRIORS!

First off, Hawai’i Football Fanatics would like to give it’s condolences to those who lost loved ones in the recent disaster in Samoa. We offer our prayers to all who have friends and families in Samoa. Also, to those professional athletes which we cover here and abroad, a big aloha goes out to them as they continue to search for information for their loved ones.

If anyone would like to help in the disaster relief efforts, the American Red Cross Hawaii State Chapter is collecting donations to assist the victims of the Samoa islands tsunami. You can make online secure donations @ www.redcross.org.  Call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or mail donations to the Hawaii State Chapter @ 4155 Diamond Head Road, Honolulu, HI 96816. Make sure to specify that your contribution go directly to the Samoan relief effort.

For those on the mainland, you can call the previous number or send your donation to the American Red Cross at P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C., 20013.

Let’s make an effort to support our Polynesian brothers and sisters by making a donation.

Mahalo nui loa!