Piʻilani Promenade Presents $1,500 Check to Kīhei Youth Center

Charlie Jencks, owners’ representative, Piʻilani Promenade, presents a check for $1,500 on behalf of Piʻilani Promenade to the Kīhei Youth Center. Accepting the donation is Lehuanani Huddleston-Hafoka, executive director of the Kīhei Youth Center. Surrounding them are children attending the Center. Courtesy photo.

By Wendy Osher

The Kīhei Youth Center received a $1,500 donation from the representatives of the proposed Piʻilani Promenade project in South Maui.

Charlie Jencks, representative for the Texan project owners, Saforim Realty Advisors, presented the funds to Kīhei Youth Center executive director Lehuanani Huddleston-Hafoka during a check presentation ceremony on Friday.

This is the second donation from the project to the youth center this year.  In February, a $1,000 matching gift was donated to support educational programs including financial literacy, cultural, and Hawaiian language programs at the center.

The Piʻilani Promenade is a light industrial, retail and apartment project proposed for development on land mauka of the Piʻilani Highway in the vicinity of the Kaʻonoʻulu Street intersection, across from the Ka ʻOno ʻUlu Estates.

Current plans call for the development of a mix of business/commercial, light industrial and apartment uses on 75 acres of land.

Huddleston-Hafoka said the Kīhei Youth Center is “extremely grateful” for the donation. The donation will reportedly be used to help the youth center’s general education homework program and to assist students in obtaining needed school supplies.

Today the Kīhei Youth Center has more than 600 registered youth members between the ages of 8 and 17 years of age. Executives say the center has been serving youth for more than 30 years under their mission to, “strengthen the community through positive youth and family development by providing educational, recreational, vocational, cultural, social and prevention programs in a safe, health and nurturing environment embodied by native Hawaiian values.”