The Queen Lili’uokalani Children’s Center, funded by the Lili’uokalani Trust, closed its Kapa’a satellite office at the end of November. By the end of next month, its Waimea satellite office will close as well. That will leave only the main
The Queen Lili’uokalani Children’s Center, funded by the Lili’uokalani Trust, closed its Kapa’a satellite office at the end of November.
By the end of next month, its Waimea satellite office will close as well.
That will leave only the main Lihu’e office, on Kali Street near The Garden Island newspaper building, as the trust’s Kaua’i location.
The trust suffered from multi-million-dollar losses in the stock market the past few years, forcing staff to examine the scaling back of certain programs and the closing of some satellite offices, a trust spokeswoman said.
It’s too early to tell how many of the 15 trust employees on Kaua’i will face layoffs as a result of the reduction of numbers of offices and programs, said a trust spokeswoman.
Some vacant positions may be eliminated, and certain current employees will be offered the options of early retirement or voluntary separation, the spokeswoman continued.
February is the deadline for current employees to let trust officials know if they plan on exercising early-retirement or voluntary-separation options.
This week, trust executives are traveling across the state, informing trust employees about the changes.
The trust, founded by Hawai’i’s last monarch, Queen Lili’uokalani, provides services to poor and orphaned children across the state, most of them Native Hawaiians.
The trust is the state’s fourth-largest private landowner.
