Turning 60 is considered to be one of life’s greatest maturity milestones.
When confronted with the big 6-0, most individuals reflect thoughtfully on their lives and come to the conclusion there is great value in being fearless. By choosing to move forward with gusto, knowing who youare and doing what you love, a positive difference can be made and the result will be a life well lived.
Imua Family Services began in a small wooden building located behind Kaunoa School in Sprecklesville in 1947. The agency was founded in a vein of fearlessness from its very beginnings.
First operating as the Maui Branch of the Hawaii Chapter of the National Association for Crippled Children and Adults, we helped countless people overcome the crippling effects of polio. Then operating for many years as Easter Seals, the organization boldly widened its influence on improving the lives of the special needs population of Maui, as we did during the many years it operated under the name of Imua Rehab.
Since 2003, the agency has been known as Imua Family Services. This name change reflects the enhanced commitment to breakthrough evidence that society can and will benefit in tangible ways if child development is treated as an imperative to build a stronger, more compassionate and more sustainable society.
Today, Imua continues to build programs that support this premise. Simply stated, we believe that today’s children will become tomorrow’s citizens, workers and parents and that resources devoted to this area will clearly further a better society.
As an agency that constantly examines its values and principles, Imua Family Services is proud to offer a unique and comprehensive set of programs that supports the foundational core concepts of child development. These programs set the stage for the early development of cognitive skills, emotional well-being, social competence and sound physical and mental health for our island’s children. Imua has consistently served more than 2,000 children and their families for each of the past five years and demonstrates our fearless commitment to new thinking and new technology related to helping all children on Maui and Lanai achieve their full potential.
The milestone of turning 60 has given Imua Family Services the unique opportunity to renew our already strong commitment to provide our community with the very best possible resources in early therapeutic intervention, parent education and family support programs.
Visions of creating a comprehensive Child Development Center of the Pacific are brewing as new facts about children’s early brain development convince experts that to not focus resources in this direction is to cheat the future.
And, of course, every good milestone anniversary is deserving of a celebration to reflect on the past with family and friends and share dreams for the future. So Imua Family Service is jumping into its next decade with Barefoot Black Tie, a Maui-styled celebration this Saturday at the Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center. The evening promises to leave a footprint on the heart of everyone who attends. The celebration features an incredible gourmet dinner by Chef Ralph from Soup to Nuts Catering, select wines from the Barefoot Winery in California and an intimate show from Maui’s delightful duo, the Barefoot Natives.
So, it seems that turning 60 does indeed have an upside.
Karen L. Jayne is the executive director of Imua Family Services.
