The YMCA of Kaua‘i will be breaking ground on the first YMCA family facility on Kaua‘i this Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 4 p.m. at the YMCA facility site located on the corner of Kaumuali‘i Highway and Nuhou Street next to
The YMCA of Kaua‘i will be breaking ground on the first YMCA family facility on Kaua‘i this Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 4 p.m. at the YMCA facility site located on the corner of Kaumuali‘i Highway and Nuhou Street next to Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School in Puhi.
The first building to be constructed will be the multi-purpose building, which will house the office and physical facilities, and will be in memory of longtime YMCA supporters the late W.J. “Bunt” and Anne Baldwin of Koloa.
Eventually, the Puhi facility will have several buildings, an outdoor swimming pool, and a gymnasium.
The YMCA of Kaua‘i is 88 years old, with an outstanding history of community and youth service. The YMCA has been credited with starting the Boy Scout program, youth soccer, and youth roller hockey on Kaua‘i. The YMCA was organized in 1916, and programs were implemented in each community.
Boys’ clubs called Gra-Y for intermediate school students and Hi-Y for high-school students were the focus, and were led by local young men volunteers called the Y’s Men.
There were two Y’s Men’s Clubs on Kaua‘i, East Kaua‘i and West Kaua‘i. They organized boys’ sports, and held an annual Boys Sports Day. The two clubs also maintained and repaired Camp Naue in Ha‘ena, which was built in 1926. The East Kaua‘i Y’s Men’s Club is still active today, supporting current YMCA programs and services on Kaua‘i.
Following World War II, a memorial YMCA recreational building was dedicated at Po‘ipu Beach to all who lost their lives. That lease expired in 1986. The YMCA of Kaua‘i is majority stockholder in the Waimea Public Hall Association, which now houses the Waimea Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii and other community organizations. The YMCA of Kaua‘i also has a teen center in Lihu‘e that is located at Kaua‘i High School. The YMCA sponsors YMCA Camp Naue, swim lessons, an annual youth run, Kaua‘i All Girls Rodeo, roller hockey, Hawai‘i Surfing Federation, Kauai Surfing Association Summer Ocean Festival, local surfing contests, Hoe Wa‘a canoe club, Save Our Seas sea school, Hawaiian summer festival, and the North Shore Ballroom Dance Club.
The YMCA Kaua‘i board has 14 members. Attorney Patrick J. Childs of Lihu’e is president, and Thomas A. Tannery has been the executive director since 1991.
Donna Schulze, a Kilauea resident and long-time volunteer, is active in the East Kaua‘i Y’s Men’s Club.
