UH Med Now

Scot Shimamura, president of the Aloha Mustang & Shelby Club, said he was disappointed when he saw the Hawaii News Now TV coverage of the Labor Day weekend graffiti attack on the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM)’s Houseless Outreach & Medical Education (H.O.M.E.) Project van. The vehicle is used as a teaching tool for medical students and provides medical services to the poor, the houseless, and the underserved communities that span Oahu.

 Shimamura gathered club members to do a clean up of the van, as a way of giving back to a project that makes large contributions to the community.  They first analyzed the damage before deciding how best to take action. 

Since it was not known what type of spray paint was used, it took four hours of testing a number of products and techniques to finally decide on how to attack the multiple layers of paint on the fiberglass, painted glass, rubber, and metal of the vehicle. 

 “Once the correct product was found — an eco-friendly soy-based paint remover and stainless steel wool — it took another five hours to finish the job,” he said. Meticulously, the pony club worked with steel wool, brushes, rags, and even razor blades for the glass.

The Aloha Mustang & Shelby Club Boomers contribute its muscle to all sorts of opportunities to give back to the community —  as volunteers at Children’s News Day at the Capitol, the Food Bank, and Lanakila Meals on Wheels.

Since there weren’t a lot of chances to volunteer because of the mandates related to COVID-19, Shimamura and his fellow V-8 engine fans figured cleaning up the van “was an outdoor thing they could do during the pandemic and take care of it.” 

The Aloha Mustang & Shelby Club is exploring the possibility of donating and mounting 1967 Mustang tail lights to repair the damage and to leave their calling card on the vehicle if H.O.M.E. Project Director Jill Omori, MD, approves. 

Click here to view the Flickr album.

Paula Bender, UH Med News Now

Aloha Mustang & Shelby Club Hawai’i dedicated time and materials to clean the Hawai’i H.O.M.E. project van after it had been tagged.