Rainbows visit kids at Kapiolani

Hawaii coach Eran Ganot is backing up his pledge to keep the community service coming.

Ganot, director of operations Jamie Smith and players Quincy Smith, Stefan Jankovic and Sai Tummala visited the Kapiolani Medical Center for children on Friday.

UH has paid ailing kids a visit there in past years, but this time they came with an added gift. Ganot presented the hospital with a donation check of $1,720. The team was accompanied by Stephanie Steuri, Miss Hawaii 2014, who represented the Phi Mu sorority. At the UH basketball “Star Wars Night” on Nov. 22, Phi Mu collected donations around the Stan Sheriff Center.

Ganot then personally matched the $860 collected by Phi Mu for the total amount.

“It’s simple,” he said. “You work your tail off to be in positions when you can give back. When you can influence lives in a positive way. We can do that here. It’s a special place with special people. The best.”

For the co-captain Smith, it was his first such visit.

“One, (visiting) made me appreciate it, but also it’s just good to give back and just do anything we can do to put smiles on people’s faces,” Smith said. “It’s amazing. It makes us feel good and also makes the kids feel good.”

The Rainbows players hung around to play some Call of Duty with some of the kids.

“It was just good to see that through all that they’re going through, they still got their spirits,” Smith said.

Since Ganot came aboard, the ‘Bows have also read to children at Waikiki Elementary and have met and fed people at a Kakaako homeless shelter, among other community activities.