Lanakila senior center saved by large donations

Catholic Charities Hawaii, faced with a deficit of more than $100,000, will likely receive enough donations to avoid closing Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center in Liliha. The nonprofit lost a critical grant from the state but has seen a flood of donations since it announced in November that it likely would have to shut down the senior center.

"We're very close. Without these donations, we would not make it to our 40th anniversary,” Stella Wong, vice president for programs for Catholic Charities, told the local news media on Dec. 18. “We're moving forward and we hope we can continue to serve. We'll have a fight in the next legislative session to make sure we have all the funding we need to continue our work."

The Hawaii Medical Assurance Association and the law firm of McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKillon donated $25,000 and American Savings Bank gave $10,000, which was matched immediately by an anonymous community member who had a father who was a member of the Lanakila center. Health benefits company Humana of Hawaii also said it will donate $10,000.

The donations will allow for Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center, the state's largest senior center that provides programs to more than 2,000 members, to continue running to at least July 1.