Imua meeting needs

By CHRIS HAMILTON, Staff Writer

KAHANA -- Quinn and Refugio Gonzalez have three happy, healthy and rambunctious boys.

The real estate investors adopted Luke, 8; Emmanuel, 4; and Simeon, 2. Since they came from high-risk environments, all three boys have developmental problems, their parents said.

But Imua Family Services in Wailuku has been their “guardian angels,” the couple said. Free of charge, the boys receive mostly in-home care up to 20 times a month – physical, speech and occupational therapy and special instruction designed to assist them with socialization and behavior issues.

“It’s amazing how overwhelming and scary parenting can be anyway,” Quinn Gonzalez said. “I’m not knocking pediatricians, but when you take a child to them for a problem they often tell you to come back later and see if anything’s changed.

“With Imua, they are right there right away with a full evaluation every three months and an individualized program. I wouldn’t even know where to begin to find these resources on my own. And we are lucky enough to actually be able to afford them.”

Gonzalez said the nonprofit agency, based in the Cameron Center, has helped put the boys on the path toward a 100 percent recovery. Without Imua, she said, the boys would probably go through their entire lives with special needs.

She said the highly educated staff is incredibly dedicated, especially considering how little many of them are paid. What they’ve done is make it a family atmosphere, she said.

Tina Boteilho is the family’s senior care coordinator, a sort of advocate and teacher for the children. As she read and played games with them on Saturday morning, it was obvious the children are very fond of her. They call her auntie.

Refugio Gonzalez said he is consistently impressed with the level of professionalism and skill the Imua staff display in attending to his children.

Imua has put balance in the lives of the children while helping the Gonzalezes in their marriage, Quinn Gonzalez said.

Anyone can call with concerns about their children’s development and behavior, and they will get a call back that day, Quinn Gonzalez said. There isn’t bureaucracy, she said.

“We help everyone, from people in mansions to people living in cars,” Boteilho said. “Some of our clients have millions and some owe millions.”

The services are free to children, ages infant to 3 and available for a fee based on income until they are 6, said Robin Pilus, Imua director of development. The agency receives funding from the federal, state and county governments, and is a member agency of the Maui United Way.

They also need to do fundraising on their own and will celebrate the agency’s 60th anniversary with a “Maui Style Black-Tie Barefoot” event Saturday at Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center.

The $150 a plate gourmet dinner with wine includes entertainment by the Barefoot Natives, Willie K and Eric Gilliom, as well as donated spa and beauty baskets for sale.

Imua Family Services has a reason to raise capital.

Executive Director Karen Jayne notes that Imua’s newest program provides therapeutic services to children ages 3 to 5 who do not qualify for state Department of Education special education services.

“This is a critical need in our community, as prior to Imua Family Services’ Early Childhood Development Program, children who did not qualify for DOE services had nowhere to go for continued support,” she said.

The Early Childhood Development Program, for now only a three-year demonstration project, relies solely on foundation grants or individual donations, she said. But the agency is seeking to set up sufficient funding to sustain the program, she said.

Over the long term, plans include a state-of-the-art Early Childhood Development Center of the Pacific. The facility will support extended services including prenatal care, pediatrics, dentistry, parenting classes, professional workshops and high-tech testing equipment.

“Our vision is very broad,” Pilus said.

At the same time, Imua can be focused on the needs of one family.

Quinn Gonzalez said she simply marvels at how few people still aren’t aware of Imua after all these decades. The doctors and clinics they visited before Imua didn’t offer referrals to the center, she said.

“There is an enormous need in our community, all communities, to help children with special needs,” she said.

“Without intervention, the child cannot develop into all they were meant to be.”

Chris Hamilton can be reached at chamilton@mauinews.com.