OUR VISION & MISSION
Hāmākua Youth Center is dedicated to the children and young adults of the Hāmākua Coast. We began serving youth in 1996 when a grassroots group of community members saw the need for youth to have a safe place during non-school hours. For 13 years, the YWCA supported and sponsored the youth center. In 2009, the Hāmākua Youth Foundation, Inc. was established as a 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization to support the Hāmākua Youth Center in a new phase of growth in the grassroots mission to create nurturing and dynamic youth-centered activities for youth from six to eighteen years of age.
Our Vision is that Hāmākua youth have access to unconditional support and guidance in life skills essential to their growth into kind, engaged, and inspired young adults.
Our Mission is to open doorways to the world by sharing life skills rooted in the Hawaiian values of kuleana, aloha, laulima, and mahalo. These ʻōlelo noʻeau are four principles that guide us at the Hāmākua Youth Center. For over thirty years, our kuleana has been the sharing of aloha with our youth, families, and community. Through laulima with our partners, community, families and youth we have established programs and activities that continue to grow in service. We mahalo each of you for your support over the years.
KULEANA
Mālama i kou kuleana
Take care of your responsibilities
ALOHA
Aloha kekahi i kekahi
Love one another
LAULIMA
E kuahui like i ka hana
Let everyone work together
MAHALO
Mahalo i ka mea loaʻa
Be thankful for all that you have
Our programs engage these values to cultivate the awareness necessary for Hāmākua youth to thrive both here and beyond.
WHAT WE DO: For nearly 30 years, Hāmākua Youth Center has provided safe, low-cost, and enriching programs for youth along the Hāmākua Coast. Our programs blend academic support with hands-on life skills, helping students and their families grow, learn, and thrive.
Through our Keiki Programs, elementary-aged children engage in place-based, multicultural learning, receive homework support and personalized tutoring, and explore experiential activities such as agriculture, food preparation, arts and crafts, music, and field trips.
Our ʻŌpio Programs build on these opportunities for teens, offering advanced cultural learning, expanded hands-on experiences—including internships—and access to locally supported scholarships for graduating seniors.
Our Impact:
Hāmākua Youth Center provides low-cost after-school and summer programs for youth across the Hāmākua district. Our staff and volunteers take a personal, relationship-based approach, supporting each young person with a focus on lifelong learning, confidence, and well-being.
In 2025, HYC:
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Partnered with the Honokaʻa Business Association to provide three graduating Honokaʻa High School seniors with scholarships for college or career/technical programs
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Expanded our longstanding scholarship program through a partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi, increasing opportunities for Hāmākua and Waimea-based graduates
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Launched our new Athletics Initiative, including Puʻuwai Volleyball Club, serving 34 youth and fostering confidence, leadership, and connection
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Hosted the Cultural Connections Summer Program, serving 20 keiki and ʻōpio and offering 5 huakaʻi (field trips) focused on Hawaiʻi’s mauka to makai ecosystem
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Distributed 180 kōkua bags filled with fresh vegetables, locally sourced proteins, and staple foods to youth, families, and local kūpuna
In 2026:
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49 youth are currently enrolled in our after-school program, receiving personalized reading and math support along with enrichment in Hawaiian and multicultural education
MEET THE TEAM
Staff
Programs:
Māhealani Maikuʻi, Program Director
Allison Loando, Activities Specialist
Monica Szczupider, Grants and Development
Volunteers
Carl Sims III
Board of Directors
Teri Sugg, President
Jack Zimmerman, Vice President
Maurice Miranda, Treasurer
Kauakea Winston, Director
Jonathan Zeichner, Director
Dave Smith, Director
STAFF
Māhealani Maikuʻi, Programs Director: As a lifelong Hāmākua resident, Māhealani Maikuʻi is the bridge between HYC and our local community. She has worked with school-aged youth for 25 years and has been with HYC since 2011, overseeing numerous outreach projects and forging many vital relationships in the process. Māhealani is our ʻumeke kāʻeo (a Hawaiian expression denoting a full calabash, symbolizing someone brimming with knowledge) and is responsible for designing curricula, guiding program staff, cultivating community partnerships, and overseeing the youth center’s day-to-day activities. Prior to joining HYC, she coordinated events for the Departments of Education and Parks and Recreation and participated in the Hawaiʻi Community College Hawaiian Kipuka certification program. She is also certified to train in Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Mass Violence Incidents (MVI) through one of our partners, Vibrant Hawaiʻi.
Allison Loando, Program Specialist: Allison has been with HYC for about two years and plays a critical role in day-to-day youth engagement. She provides direct support during afterschool and summer programming, assisting with homework help, activity facilitation, and general classroom management. Allison’s consistency and familiarity with the youth help create a welcoming and stable atmosphere.
Gigi Davidson, Organizational Director: Gigi Davidson has been with HYC since January 2024. Having previously founded two nonprofits—including one focused on expanding computer literacy in disenfranchised communities and another that supports and advocates for young adults living with FASD—she now looks after HYC’s administrative functions. Her duties include board reporting, fundraising, marketing, communications, policy development, and organizational stabilization. Gigi holds an MBA and has prior experience in the banking sector, both domestically and internationally.
Monica Szczupider, Associate Development Director: Monica Szczupider has been with HYC since May 2024, having previously worked in the conservation and environmental education nonprofit sector. Holding an MSc in Anthropology with a focus on Primate Conservation, her experience includes curriculum development, community outreach, wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, academic research and data analysis, scientific and popular publication, and donor relations. She brings a global perspective to our team, having worked in far-flung regions such as Cameroon, India, and Nicaragua. At HYC, she manages grants and development efforts, including solicitation, procurement, reporting, and the cultivation of new partnerships.
Hannah Adona, Accountant: While not officially on staff, Hannah is a vital member of the HYC ʻohana. As our accountant, she works closely with Gigi on financial systems, budgeting, and reporting to ensure compliance and sustainability. Her role is especially important as we pursue new grants, expand programming, and plan for long-term organizational health. Hannah’s support enables frontline staff to focus more fully on youth engagement and program quality.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Teri Sugg, President: Teri became involved with the Hāmākua Youth Center as a volunteer, teaching art and ceramics to the keiki. She was inspired by the way Program Director Māhealani Maikui connected with the children and by the way the keiki supported one another. Wanting to further support the organization, she joined the board in 2016. The Hāmākua Youth Center serves both children and their families, providing a low-cost, safe, and home-like afterschool environment guided by aloha.
Jack Zimmerman, Vice President: Jack Zimmerman has served on the Hāmākua Youth Foundation board since it became an independent nonprofit in 2009 and previously served for many years when it operated as a YWCA project. A former Board President and current Vice President, Jack has devoted his life to supporting and learning from children through education and community work. He values how HYC helps keiki build leadership skills, communicate openly, and grow within a multicultural community.
Jonathan Zeichner, Treasurer: Jonathan Zeichner is a nonprofit founder and executive leader with over 33 years of experience serving underserved, poverty-impacted, homeless, and mentally ill youth, families, and veterans. He has held leadership roles with organizations including Imagination Workshop at UCLA, Inside Out Community Arts, and A Place Called Home in South Central Los Angeles. Jonathan is a recipient of multiple national leadership and arts awards and currently serves as an independent consultant, advisor, and mentor to nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles and Hawaiʻi, where he now resides.
Diane Scheurell, Secretary: Diane has been secretary for the Hāmākua Youth Foundation since September 2014.
Kauakea Winston, Director: Kauakea has been a board member of Hāmākua Youth Center since 2019 and also serves as the newsletter editor and photographer. She is committed to making a difference in her community and supporting keiki as they thrive and embrace Hawaiian culture. Kauakea values HYC as a safe, nurturing place where kids can get homework done, learn kindness, and feel supported.
Dave Smith, Director: Entrepreneur and community leader Dave Smith owns a local landscaping company and manages both Waimea NAPA stores. Dave lives in Waimea with his family, whose roots run deep in the community: his wife was born in Waimea and raised in Hāmākua, and their daughters play in HYF’s volleyball club. Also serving as one of the club’s coaches, Dave brings practical leadership experience, a strong work ethic, and a deep commitment to strengthening opportunities for Hāmākua’s youth.
CONTACT US
HELP US MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
SCAN or CLICK Venmo, PayPal, or Zeffy below to donate!
Zeffy
Checks can be mailed to:
Hāmākua Youth Foundation
P.O. Box 381
Honokaʻa, HI 96727
Or, come and see us in person at:
45-3396 Māmane Street in Honokaʻa!
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