A chance meeting in a garage more than a decade ago got the idea going.

Later, Riki Ellison’s enshrinement in the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame gave him the final nudge toward starting a Youth Impact Program in Hawaii.

“That triggered me to really push to get this in place, being recognized like that in Hawaii,” said Ellison, who was born in New Zealand and is of Maori descent.

Ellison played linebacker at USC (when his name was Riki Gray) and then in the NFL for 10 seasons. He is now one of the world’s foremost consultants in strategic missile defense matters.

Last year, the University of Hawaii became the 13th college to host YIP, which Ellison started at his alma mater in 2006.

About a year before that, John Kamana III happened to be at a gathering at now-State Senate president Ron Kouchi’s garage on Kauai. Kamana asked if it would be OK if a friend who was on the island for business joined them.

That friend turned out to be Ellison, Kamana’s Trojans teammate. Ellison was there for meetings at the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands.

Yes, Ellison and Kouchi talked about missile defense issues that evening. But they also discussed Ellison’s vision to help at-risk kids with a free football day camp that included heavy doses of academics and leadership training.

The idea of UH hosting a YIP program didn’t gain much traction early on for various reasons, but “we never gave up,” Kouchi said.

Ellison said Kouchi “was the key for me.”

It also helped that Nick Rolovich, who was hired as UH head coach in November 2015, liked the concept. Athletic director David Matlin and university president David Lassner were also on board, Matlin said.

One challenge was getting teachers to handle the education component. That was solved through the athletic department’s strong military connections.

Retired Army Col. Trey Johnson, a former volunteer coach at UH, continues to work with Rainbow Warriors football and teaches leadership courses at Manoa. He and other soldiers and Marines are YIP teachers, and help maintain discipline.

“It fits and aligns with our greater mission, which is to make the world a better place,” Johnson said.

It is the only YIP program with military personnel as teachers, Ellison said. (Although at West Point cadets organize the program.)

“It’s a great opportunity for soldiers to give back to the community and for the community to get to know its Army,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Jacinto Garza.

The football instructors include UH players. Some of the boys bonded with running back Diocemy Saint Juste so much that months later they’d show up at Warriors practices to see him, Rolovich said.

Tight end Dakota Torres, who is from Waianae, said it was especially rewarding to help mentor a youngster whose family he knew from his neighborhood.

“He was headed down the wrong path,” Torres said.

Classes are in the morning, with football in the afternoon.

“They start to envision themselves in the college atmosphere,” Kouchi said.

The program is designed for at-risk boys, ages 10-14. A pilot for girls is being held at the University of Michigan this year, Ellison said.

The sessions at UH will be weekdays, June 18-29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. An application form is at youthimpactprogram.org, and more information is available from program director Jason Cvercko at (808) 956-6509.

Organizers are exploring using Army barracks in future years to make it easier for neighbor island youths to attend.