J. Walter Cameron Center Reports $1.4 M CIP Backlog Amid Pandemic Delays

The J. Walter Cameron Center in Wailuku, Maui has been serving the Maui community for nearly 48 years, but like most nonprofits the organization reports it has been affected by economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The virus caused us to delay critical repairs, leaving us with a nearly $1.4 million backlog in capital improvement projects–projects necessary for the health and safety of those who come to the center,” said Tom Blackburn-Rodriguez, Fund Development Director for the Center.

“Within the next few weeks and months, we will be contacting our federal and state legislators, council members, the mayor, and foundation funding sources to attack the CIP backlog,” Blackburn-Rodriguez said in an Open Mic Studio Session at Akakū Maui Community Media.

“This has been a tough 16 months for everyone, including the nonprofits that struggle to provide the help that so many of us need with food, rent, electricity and mortgage assistance. Let’s not forget that nonprofits are the human infrastructure that makes Maui the caring community we can all be proud of,” said Blackburn-Rodriguez.

“Listen to the requests for help. Almost everyone on Maui knows of someone who has been helped at the Cameron Center by our resident agencies or another nonprofit,” he said. “Your support ensures their survival.”

Since its opening in 1973, the Cameron Center has grown to include a site consisting of 18 resident agencies with 100 plus programs, serving a pre-pandemic client base estimated at 30,000 members of the low and moderate income community of Maui.

One of the many organizations that provide services at the Center is Maui Mediation Services or MMS. The nonprofit was founded in 1982 to provide “effective and inexpensive public resolution assistance.” The organization conducts mediations utilizing professionally trained volunteers who assist people with conflict resolution with the hopes of reaching a “win-win” for both parties.

According to Blackburn-Rodriguez, on average, Maui Mediation serves more than 500 cases a year. It’s just one of the many examples of the outreach services provided through resident organizations.

Other resident agencies include: the Maui Community Mental Health Center, Alu Like Inc., Maui United Way, Maui Pops Orchestra, Aging & Disability Resource Center Hawaiʻi, Hui No Ke Ola Pono, MEO Kahi Kamaliʻi, Mental Health America of Hawaiʻi, Nā Keiki O Emalia, American Red Cross, Ka Lima O Maui, Pacific Cancer Foundation, and Maui Family Support Services Inc.

More information on the J. Walter Cameron Center is available online at jwcameroncenter.org.