HawaiiCon raises thousands for local youth programs

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Friday the 13th turned out to be a lucky day for the Hilo High School Performing Arts Learning Center and Robotics program, which each received $1,500 donations from HawaiiCon chief operating officer GB Hajim.

Friday the 13th turned out to be a lucky day for the Hilo High School Performing Arts Learning Center and Robotics program, which each received $1,500 donations from HawaiiCon chief operating officer GB Hajim.

The gifts were presented as part of HawaiiCon’s “Reach for the Stars” program. In addition to raising thousands of dollars for these kinds of programs, HawaiiCon brings students to meet with top people in the fields of science and the arts.

This past year, HawaiiCon donated more than 100 tickets to students so they could experience the convention.

For HawaiiCon 2016 next September, the program is expanding in science and sci-fi, bringing in dozens of experts from NASA, Radio Astronomy and the American Physics Society as well as top celebrities and creators from the “Star Trek” franchise, including original cast members Nichelle Nichols (Lieutenant Uhura) and Walter Koenig (Chekov).

“Star Trek” is celebrating is 50th anniversary in 2016.

HawaiiCon is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase public awareness of science, the science fiction genre and mythologies, past and present, which guide humanity.

HawaiiCon emphasizes education and uniquely Hawaiian contributions to science.

For more information, visit www.hawaiicon.com or follow HawaiiCon on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hawaiicon or @HawaiiCon on Twitter.