Kiwanis Kupuna Spelling Bee set for July 1
This summer, Hawaii residents ages 60 years and older will have the opportunity to use their language skills in the second annual Kiwanis Kupuna Spelling Bee.
Presented by Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines, the event is a fundraising activity to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association-Hawaii and a way for kupuna “to sharpen and utilize their cognitive skills in a friendly, fun competition,” a news release said.
Preliminary events will take place statewide, including on Maui on July 1 at 9 a.m. at the J. Walter Cameron Center Auditorium.
Hawaiian Airlines is donating 50,000, 30,000, and 20,000 miles, respectively, for the first, second, and third place spelling bee winners of each preliminary contest. All Neighbor Island finalists, along with a guest, will also receive complimentary airline transportation to travel to Oahu for the finals, courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines.
Alaska Airlines will provide the overall grand prize winner with a trip for two to any destination Alaska Airlines flies.
To participate and receive a yellow Kiwanis Kupuna Spelling Bee T-shirt, registration is required with a $25 registration fee at kupunaspellingbee.com by Wednesday. Net proceeds from this annual event will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association-Hawaii.
First, second and third place winners from each preliminary contest will receive a medal and be eligible to compete in the Kiwanis Kupuna Spelling Bee Finals on July 29 at 1 p.m. at Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center.
The idea for the Kupuna Spelling Bee originated last year with Riley Regan, a then-16-year-old Iolani School junior who won his own spelling bee as a fifth grader at Puu Kukui Elementary School on Maui. Regan, along with his parents, Lynn Araki-Regan and Keith Regan, and the Kiwanis Club are leading the spelling bee’s organizing efforts.
“Research shows that older adults who view themselves as lifelong learners tend to have sharper cognitive skills,” Riley Regan said in a news release. “Preparing for a spelling competition can hone those skills.”
For more information about the kupuna spelling bee, visit kupunaspellingbee.com, email kiwanis kupunaspellingbee@gmail.com, or contact Maui’s preliminary spelling bee organizer (808) 281-7723.