The Westside YMCA in Lahaina is officially open!
- feinstein
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Thanks to the heroic leadership of Steve Scraggs and Jaylou Cabrera, along with the entire team at the Maui Family YMCA, the Westside YMCA resource center is now officially open! Getting to this point took many months of careful planning, and Char Matila played a critical role in navigating Maui’s complex construction and permitting process. This is a major milestone and Maui Calm is deeply honored to partner with the YMCA alongside a coalition of esteemed nonprofit organizations who all share a commitment to uplift and serve the people of Lahaina as they rebuild and recover from one of the worst wildfires in history.
The fire took away so many vital community spaces and essential services. Lahaina’s preschools were all lost in the fire, so the YMCA will house a new preschool, intentionally designed to be trauma-informed so that the keiki can learn and heal in a safe, supportive environment. The Y also provides a much-needed community space where neighbors can reconnect, so beautifully illustrated at last week’s grand opening celebration where the keiki came out in droves to trick or treat, and hundreds of local Lahaina kūpuna gathered together to play bingo, reviving a beloved tradition and reminding everyone what it feels like to be together again.
Sending a giant mahalo to the Maui Strong Fund of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation and the Rotary Club, whose donations helped bring this vital resource center to life. Over the coming months, the outdoor space just mauka to the main building will be transformed into a beautiful healing garden, where we will be setting up our Maui Calm float facility. We hope to be up and running by early next year, so stay tuned for more details….
The new Westside YMCA at 226 Kupuohi Street in Lahaina is now open to serve the community. You can learn more and sign up for updates at mauiymca.org/Lahaina
