About Us
Hale Halawai ‘Ohana O Hanalei – The name of our community non-profit was given by Kupuna Helena Maka Santos and translates as “A house for the coming together of the family of Hanalei.” A place where everyone is welcome.
Background:On June 15, 1993 Hale Halawai ‘Ohana O Hanalei became a 501 (c)(3) non profit organization. This community organization was born from the long held dreams of a gathering place for the beautiful, geographically isolated North Shore. A unique feature of the Center is that it is owned and maintained by community volunteers of all ages, as well as staff.
Purpose: Create and sustain a center in Hanalei to provide services and community activities on the North Shore of Kaua‘i. Our founding board’s first priority was to construct a facility where these services and activities could be offered.
Most other Kaua‘i towns enjoy county owned neighborhood centers, but a facility was never built in Hanalei. Community support and interest surged and resulted in the first privately funded community center in the state of Hawai’i. In 2002, we completed construction. For detailed information regarding the different buildings please see our Facility Information section of the web site.
Dedicated to celebrating and increasing the resources and spirit of the people; we serve as a venue hosting educational, social, civic and recreational events. Please see our Events Calendar for further information about specific programs and activities happening at the Center.
Ongoing we focus on:
- Active participation & use by our community.
- Teaching of traditional cultural values.
- Increase of family & community cohesiveness.
- Sharing of wisdom & resources to benefit all.
- Building of self sufficiency & self esteem through mentoring, creative activities and micro-economic development.
We also:
- Sponsor programs and partner to deliver services such as the Halele’a Cultural Exploration – (Keiki program during the summer offering Hawaiiana, arts and crafts, health, sports, and more.)
- Facilitate information referrals about resources and events.
- Assist the county’s Ka Leo project by hosting meetings so residents can Work on regional issues without leaving the neighborhood
- Coordinate a variety of programs offered by community members.
What’s Next: We are currently in the process of encouraging volunteers and donors to join together in giving the entire Center a refreshing “face lift”. This is needed to maintain and preserve the buildings (inside and out). We are embarking on an exciting time of growth as together we face the future.
Board of Directors:
All Directors serve in a volunteer capacity.
Wicki Van De Veer, President
Mal Dohrman, Vice president
Naomi Yokotake, Secretary
Gaylord Wilcox, Treasurer
Tanya Hashimoto, Director
Gary Pacheco, Director
Staff: (All staff are part time)
Carol Ann Washburn, Executive Director
Gayla Spencer, Office Manager
Duchess Boro, Market Supervisor
Joshua Adney, Grounds Supervisor
Mary Lucas, Caretaker
Farmer’s Market Staff- Rich Ochoa, Jamie Watts, Sierra Boro-Harada
Mahalo nui loa for your interest!
