MMA Fighters Tell Kids Not to Drink

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By Stephen Florino - KHNL NBC 8, Honolulu, Hawaii

WAIANAE (KHNL) -- Keep our kids on the right path.

That's the goal of a town hall meeting Friday night in Waianae. A state survey shows underage drinking is a problem on the Leeward coast. So the meeting featured some unique speakers to try and get the kids attention.

They're known for fighting with their fists. But Friday night, mixed martial arts fighters Falaniko Vitale and Egan Inoue fought with their words.

The opponent - underage drinking.

"Basically, anything for the kids," said Vitale. "I'll step out the door, and jump in front of a car if i have to."

A state survey showed that as much as 42 percent of kids on the Leeward Coast already tried alcohol before they were 13-years old.

"Those are very staggering statistics, and that bothers me a lot," said Rep. Karen Awana. "That's why I made it a point to make this event."

And it was no coincidence that Awana chose these guys to be the speakers.

"Friday evening, how can we get our youth out here? Who do they see as role models?"

Role models, but also adults, and parents themselves. And they wanted to show these kids that you can always talk to an adult about your problem -- no matter who they are.

"Kids do look up to us, and we need to be good role models," said Vitale. "They wanna be us. and hopefully we can encourage them to do the same when they get older."

Cause making a difference in any one of these young lives, is a huge victory.

Awana says she plans to have more of these town hall meetings on the leeward coast in the near future.

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