Sabers for Animals (S4A) is a student-led club that is dedicated to spreading awareness and promoting ethical treatment of animals within the school and local community.
The club was founded by Kris Corrales, a junior and its current president, who was inspired to take action after adopting a stray cat that lived on campus. “It was just kind of disheartening to see her (the cat) and any animal live like that. Now she lives with me at home and she eats pretty well,” he said. Before the adoption, the cat had been cared for by the school’s Student Activities Coordinator, Sara Ann Kimura. “It inspired me knowing that she was being taken care of, and I wanted to help out.” Corrales said. “ I think the difference I want to see in the community is more people who are inspired like I was and to have more happy adoption stories like that.”
Recognizing a need for greater education about the stray cat population on campus, Corrales and other animal lovers decided to create an environment where students could contribute to animal welfare. “They don’t necessarily care because they think [stray animals] can fend for themselves or someone takes care of them,” Corrales said.
Since its launch in August 2024, the club has attracted more than 70 members. Dani Coloma, a junior and club officer, highlighted the variety of opportunities available to members. “Things like collaboration, communicating with other organizations, planning events, and promoting the club on social media are all things we try to provide,” Coloma said.
Running the club does come with challenges. Corrales said that coordinating volunteer opportunities can be complicated. “There’s a lot of safety restrictions for volunteers who are under 18 years old. Plus things like communicating with organizations and finding causes to work towards and activities for the club to do.”
Despite these hurdles, the club has already made an impact by partnering with the Hawaiian Humane Society’s Kosasa Campus in Ewa Beach. Through this partnership, S4A aims to provide volunteer opportunities for its members and host guest speakers to educate students about animal welfare issues. “Sometimes that can be hard to accomplish because of paperwork and liability issues that come with handling animals,” said Michelle Hatami, one of the club’s advisors. The Hawaiian Humane Society requires volunteers to be at least 18 years old to handle animals directly. However, younger members can participate in cat enrichment activities.
Looking ahead, S4A hopes to continue fostering a community where students can make a difference and learn about animal welfare. The club plans to take part in events such as the annual Saber Pause for Paws and Campbell for Causes, with the goal of making significant contributions to these initiatives in the future.
