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.

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.

Vision & Mission

Our Impact

What We Do: For 30 years the Hāmākua Youth Center has provided safe, low cost, and enriching programs to high risk area youth. Our extracurricular programming blends academic learning and experiential life skills to enrich the lives of our students and their families. Through our Keiki Programs, elementary-aged children are provided with place-based multicultural learning opportunities, homework assistance and personalized tutoring, and experiential learning through agriculture, food preparation, arts and crafts, music, and a variety of field trips. Our ʻŌpio Programs expand these opportunities for area teens, including advanced multicultural learning opportunities, experiential learning in additional areas such as internships, and access to three locally-supported scholarships for recent high school graduates.

Our Impact: The Hāmākua Youth Center offers low cost after school alternatives and summer programs for at-risk youth from across the Hāmākua district. Our staff and volunteers take a personal approach to every youth entering the door, with an emphasis on life-long learning and building self-esteem. In 2025, HYC has:

Partnered with the Honokaʻa Business Association to provide three graduating Honokaʻa High seniors with scholarships to attend college or a career/technical program of their choice
In 2025, our longstanding college scholarship program partnered with the University of Hawaiʻi to provide expanded scholarship opportunities for Hāmākua and Waimea based high school graduates!
Also in 2025, we began a new Athletics Initiative: This year, we launched Puʻuwai Volleyball Club, serving 34 youth, where youth can stay active, gain confidence, build leadership skills, and strengthen peer connections.
Cultural Connections Summer program 2025 Served 20 keiki &ʻōpio and conducted 5 huakaʻi (field trips), focusing on Hawaiʻi’s Mauka to Makai ecosystem.
In 2025, the Hāmākua Youth Foundation team distributed 180 Kokua bags with fresh veggies, locally-sourced proteins, and and staple foods to our youth, families, and local kupuna.
In 2026, 49 youth are currently enrolled in enrolled in our after-school learning support and enrichment program, which provides personalized assessment and tutoring in reading and math, and enrichment programs in Hawaiian and multicultural education.

Want to learn more about our impact? Take a stroll down memory lane through our annual Year in Review...

2022

2021

Meet the Team

MEET THE TEAM

Staff

Programs:

Māhealani Maikuʻi, Program Director

Allison Loando, Activities Specialist

Administration:

Gigi Davidson, Organizational Director

Volunteers

Carl Sims III

Board of Directors

Teri Sugg, President

Jack Zimmerman, Vice President

Maurice Miranda, Treasurer

Diane Scheurell, Secretary

Kauakea Winston, Director

Jonathan Zeichner, 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.

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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.

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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.

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Monica Szczupider, Grants and Development: 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.

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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.

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Maurice Miranda, Treasurer: Bio coming soon

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.

Jonathan Zeichner, Director: 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.