On Saturday, September 19th, approximately 18 Pacific Quest employees participated in the 2nd Annual Ka’u Coffee Trail Run–The Southernmost Coffee Trail Run in the USA! The goal of this event was to help raise money for the economically depressed community, via the non-profit organization O Ka’u Kakou. All funds raised went to O Ka’u Kakou to help them better serve the community and become more self-sustaining as well as to promote Ka’u coffee and to promote Ka’u as an international tourist destination.
Staff members registered for either the 5K, 10K or half marathon. Pacific Quest took Second Place overall in every race!
5k- TJ Kuhn (2nd)
10k- JP Swanson (2nd), Kyle Sullivan (3rd), Meggie Olsen (1st Overall Female)
Half-Marathon- Topher Fast (2nd)
A group of PQ students attended the post-race ceremony and were very excited to cheer on the staff as they received awards for finishing the run. The students were eager to give back to the community and they worked together, taking down several large tents and cleaned up the area where the ceremony and performances took place.
Pacific Quest’s Adolescent Field Coordinator, Mike McGee, who ran the 10K, comments, “As for me, I had a blast! It was great to see community members that we have worked with over the years on community service projects here in Ka’u. The race is the hardest race I have ever done, with 2,800 foot or so climbs in the middle on the course. It was a great atmosphere, with the dancers and great food given to participants. It was nice for the students to see the staff here as real people that “live the life” that we teach about.”
Thank you to everyone who made this event a success! Go Team PQ!