New Kamehameha Schools facility in Wailuku blessed
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The Maui News
Kamehameha Schools celebrated earlier this month the opening of its new Maui, Molokai and Lanai regional office and community resource center in downtown Wailuku -- at a location within reach of Native Hawaiian families, educational partners and government offices.
The facility will provide a one-stop shop for families needing information and support for all Kamehameha Schools campus and noncampus programs and services, including financial aid and admissions; community programs during summer and interim school breaks; career and post-high school counseling; and "aina engagement" for land-related issues and information for Maui, Molokai and Lanai.
The site, which previously housed the Wailuku Federal Credit Union at 175 Market St., is located close to clients, Native Hawaiian agencies and services and government offices, according to a Kamehameha Schools news release Thursday. The Hawaiian homestead of Paukukalo and two Kamehameha Schools preschool classrooms are a half mile away; the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Waiehu Kou homestead is 2 miles away; offices for Native Hawaiian organizations and agencies, such as DHHL, 'Aha Punana Leo o Maui and the Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center are within a mile.
The fee simple property includes a 2,688-square-foot single-story building built in 1972 on 15,987 square feet of land. The site had been vacant for two years; the credit union has moved to its new Maui Lani location.
Kamehameha Schools purchased the building in January 2017 and completed renovations a couple of months ago. The new offices will house a staff of 10 to 12 people, the news release said.
"This new regional office creates an opportunity for Kamehameha Schools to lay down deeper roots and connections in this community," said Ka'eo Duarte, vice president of community engagement and resources. "With a location closer to Native Hawaiian families and educational partners, we look forward to working side-by-side with this region's stakeholders to work toward educational success for keiki and a thriving lahui."
Venus Rosete-Medeiros, regional director for Maui County, said that "our community staff and services on Maui are now under one hale, in a convenient one-stop center to serve our Hawaiian families."
"We are excited at the prospect of hosting keiki and ohana in a multipurpose space to engage community and partners so that we are able to better serve Native Hawaiians and our education and community partners," she said.
Among those attending the blessing were community collaborators. Greg Dela Cruz, senior pastor of Living Way Church Maui in nearby Happy Valley, is an instructor in Kamalama, a Hawaiian values-based parent education program. Funded by Kamehameha Schools, Dela Cruz has taken his class to Hana, Kihei and Lahaina.
Kau'i Kanaka'ole also joined the blessing. He is executive director of the nonprofit Ala Kukui, a retreat center in Hana that creates opportunities for people "to have deep spiritual connections and cultural connections between themselves and the environment and other people around them." Kamehameha Schools has used the retreat for summer and intercession programs, he said.