The Department of Youth and Woman’s Affairs was recently gifted with a donation of sports jerseys from the Troy and Theodora Polamalu Foundation — under the Fa’a Samoa Initiative — to be used by American Samoa Department of Education High School athletic teams during their sports seasons.

According to the DYWA, the Foundation has designated DYWA as caretaker to maintain, sign-out and inventory these sports jerseys before and after each session of use, in order to prolong their life for the sports teams and the community.

The high schools receiving the jerseys are Kanana Fou, Tafuna, Faga’itua, Leone, Nu’uuli VocTech, Samoana and Fa’asao Marist.

On hand to receive the donation were the principals who thanked the Foundation and DYWA for the donation. The jerseys are to be used by players of the current DOE American Samoa High School Athletic Association sports — which is boys volleyball.

The volleyball season is expected to end on December 19 with the East vs West  All-Star game. Each school will receive a total of 48 jerseys — 12 each for the Varsity and Junior Varsity in both the boys and girls divisions.

Originally the jerseys were meant to be used only for volleyball, but with the style and make of the jerseys, they can be used for other sports as well, such as basketball, baseball, softball and soccer.

The Fa’a Samoa Initiative was developed by NFL star Troy Polamalu and his wife, Theodora to implement positive change in American Samoa. What originally began as a football camp here in American Samoa in 2011, has now grown to encompass a three-tiered program offering an academic division, athletic camp and medical mission.

The initiative promotes healthy living, safe sportsmanship and the importance of education in the island’s youth population, as well as addressing the current medical issues facing the American Samoa people.