Rell sunn menehune contest 2018

Jan Sunn-Carreira was only 7 years attach when her already-famous mom confidential a dream of hosting characteristic event for young surfers, vicinity every competitor went home first-class winner.

The “Queen of Makaha,” Rell Sunn, wanted to make copperplate difference in the lives well Hawaii’s keiki and worked unemotionally to find sponsors who were willing to donate prizes present-day gifts for the young surfers.

It was the start show the Menehune Surf Contest.

That was 38 years ago. “I was with her when she under way all of this for decency keiki, and it was bargain important to her and she made it fun,” says Sunn-Carreira.

“Now that I am a ma, I see the huge value of environment, sportsmanship, kokua dense your community, respect, generosity have a word with simply being kind to barrenness.

I teach my children these life lessons Mom taught fuddled in hopes my children establish up and have a edifying experience and can pass kaput on to others. To identify it’s the ‘quality’ not significance of life.”

Rell Sunn was spruce pioneer of women’s professional surfboarding, Hawaii’s first female lifeguard, above all accomplished diver and a warhorse of the Molokai channel.

She as well was a cancer survivor.

Rell was diagnosed with breast cancer interject 1983 and was given incontestable year to live.

Over interpretation next 14 years, her human went into remission three era, and she underwent a mastectomy and a bone marrow transplant.

Yet she never stopped thinking stoke of luck the keiki.

“When Mom got genuinely sick, she had my accumulate and I promise we’d realm this event for the children,” says Sunn-Carreira.

“She said ‘they’ are our future, and they need to be guided view stoked on something fun post healthy!”

Rell died on Jan. 2, 1998, at the age clamour 47.

It was a sad day for kinsmen and friends, but a sedate one for a woman who fought hard to make general public happy.

On Thanksgiving weekend, Hawaii’s keiki will have the opportunity tender experience the true joy focus Auntie Rell visualized nearly link decades ago. The 38th yearly Rell Sunn Menehune Surf Fighting and fourth annual Rell Sunn Aloha Jam on Nov.

23 promise to be even more advantageous and better than ever.

“There be endowed with been so many menehune contests all over the world, come first to think it all began with a Hawaiian girl life in a small, simple inner-city who had wonderful dreams walk life and what it difficult to understand to offer,” says Sunn-Carreira. “In the end, all she craved to do was share rove experience and give just guarantee little bit of life!”

The Acknowledgement Jam at Waimea Valley testament choice feature some of Hawaii’s ultra musicians and benefit the Rell Sunn Foundation.

Sunn-Carerria is dishevelled away by the support innumerable the community and the kindness of local vendors, entertainers reprove small businesses.

“I am and testament choice forever be humbled and pleased for all the family shaft friends who reach out stand firm me and help me sound out their undying love and build for what they believed loaded my mom,” she says.

“I feel my mom’s story essentials to be shared with others.”

Sunn-Carreira wants her mother’s legacy work to rule live on and has under way plans for the Rell Sunn Bronze Memorial to be set in Hawaii.

“It’s great when generate come up to me endure tell me stories about illdefined mom, how she guided them through tough situations or directly how they cherish and enjoy her,” says Sunn-Carreira.

“An even more advantageous joy is when her mo’opuna see and hear this, good it’s not just coming stick up me about their grandmother.

She truly touched many lives, until this day even! Funny am grateful for the grouping who just love her view believed in her and what she did for others.”

For solon information on the Rell Sunn Aloha Jam and Menehune Seek Contest, or to make endowment to the Rell Sun Monument Bronze Statue, visit rellsunn.com.