Hale Halawai ‘Ohana ‘O Hanalei is dedicated to celebrating and increasing the resources and spirit of the people of the Hanalei area.
We serve as an event venue hosting recreational & learning
Residents can reserve time in our certified kitchen or computer lab.
We facilitate information referrals about resources and events
We assist the county’s Ka Leo project by hosting meetings so residents can work on regional issues without leaving the neighborhood.
We sponsor programs and partner to deliver services such as
Keiki program 6/13-7/13 hawaiiana, arts and crafts, health, sports, more
A youth center serving primarily grades 5th through 8th.
Friday movie nights, dances, after school recreation time.
While these programs serve a modest number (and we are still learning), we’ve built solid and ongoing relationships with many area families.
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What's Next
To fully achieve our mission, we must first understand who our community has become and what needs and opportunities are likely.
We are preparing to embark on a strategic planning process that will include ways to assess the needs and interests of our community and develop systems to measure impacts while advancing our community’s self-awareness and cohesiveness and hence, quality of life.
We are excited about the process we are developing to do this, which will integrate extensive community participation and input while improving upon our existing programs and maximizing our collaborative relationships and local talent. More on how we will accomplish this important work is coming soon!
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Background
Most other Kaua‘i towns enjoy county owned community facilities, but a facility was never built in Hanalei. In the aftermath of Hurricane Iniki, community support and interest surged and Hale Halawai, which incorporated in 1993, began as Hawaii’s first privately funded community center thanks in part to the state’s Family Support Centers demonstration project.
Family Support Centers were expected to: promote healthy development, integration & cultural integrity; empower families to become self-determined and civically responsible; be owned and driven by the community and facilitate a partnership of families, resources, leaders, and funders.
We have met some of these expectations and are excited about the future too.
Our founding board’s first priority was to construct a facility, and help poured in. While a grant from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and land donated by the Wilcox family helped tremendously, we depended on countless volunteers and supporters to make it happen.
In 2002, we completed construction of our facility which today includes a main meeting building (that also houses a certified kitchen, health brochure library and computer lab), a youth rec center known as “Uncle Jack’s Place,” offices of our tenant, the Hanalei Watershed Hui (a former program which spun off into a new 501c3), storage and caretaker’s cabins and a pottery kiln. Our traditional halau was toppled during a winter storm but will soon be reconstructed.
Mahalo nui loa for your interest! |
