The Hawai'i High School Athletic Association's "SOS" (Save Our Sports) campaign received a $100,000 boost yesterday from the McInerny Foundation, pushing its running total near the $1 million mark after nine weeks.

HHSAA executive director Keith Amemiya received the check yesterday at a downtown news conference. All money collected through the SOS Fund (about $975,000 so far) will go toward helping Hawai'i's 55 public high school athletic departments offset state budget cuts that left them operating with less than 64 percent of their Department of Education allocations compared to 2008-2009.

"This is one of the largest gifts we've made, but it is a cause worth supporting," said Thurston Twigg-Smith, vice-chair for the McInerny Foundation Distribution Committee and former owner of The Advertiser. "Everybody realizes that sports is an important part of school life ... It plugs big gaps. If not for sports, a lot of our kids would be wandering around, wondering what to do with their time."

McInerny Foundation Distribution Committee Chair Peter Ho, who is president of Bank of Hawai'i, presented Amemiya with a check for $50,000 from the bank when the SOS campaign kicked off on July 28.

"Obviously that was an important day, and I think what has happened since then is Keith has helped raise the public consciousness and made people aware of the predicament we are all in," Ho said. "This is just another opportunity to support Keith in this endeavor. The whole community has embraced the concept of high school sports."

Nate Smith, an alternate member of the McInerny Foundation Distribution Committee, also was there on July 28 to present the SOS campaign with a contribution of $50,000 on behalf of the GIFT Foundation.

"Keith is the engine running this thing," Smith said of the SOS campaign. "With his reputation and the momentum gained (since July 28), we felt confident he's gonna get it done. We also want to send out a message to other foundations, so hopefully they will step forward, too."

All money collected through the SOS Fund will be turned over to the DOE, which in turn will distribute it to Hawai'i's 55 public high school athletic departments according to a set formula based on size of programs and student participation.

To contribute, make a check payable to "HHSAA SOS Account" and send it to HHSAA, P.O. Box 62029, Honolulu, HI 96839, or visit www.sportshigh.com or any First Hawaiian Bank branch (checks only).