Within the first year of organizing YWCA O'ahu, our board created ten committees covering various areas — from finance to education and membership to “social” — planning and organizing activities for our members and the community. Many classes had “educational and industrial” elements.

With the opening of YWCA, women and girls found a place where they could not only socialize but also learn new subjects

The class schedule of October, 1901 looked like this:

Monday evening: Point and Battenburg lace work
Tuesday evening: Current Events (Topics discussed include Assassination of President William McKinley and the question of anarchy)
Wednesday evening: Embroidery
Thursday evening: Music class for note reading, voice building and general vocal culture
Friday evening: “Sewing bee” gathering for sewing and social

Two staff positions of General Secretary and “Physical Instructress” were created and financed within the first three months of the organizing of YWCA in 1900. Two women assumed those responsibilities.

Athletic performances of Ms. Bacon often became the talk of the town. (The Honolulu Republican: November 11, 1900, Fashions and Society section)

As it reflected on our first year of activities, a local paper called YWCA O'ahu “One of the most prosperous and most helpful institutions of Honolulu, and one of the city’s most elevating influences” where the organization’s objective “to promote the spiritual, intellectual, social and physical welfare of women is most worthily carried out.” (The Honolulu Republican: October 27, 1901)

Each year, our offerings grew to meet the needs of the community. We mobilized ourselves and held classes across town in addition to holding them in our building.

Fort Street Nutrition Class. Thousands of families were touched by our classes on this important subject each year in the early days of our activities.

Our class offerings covered a wide range of topics (Honolulu Star-Bulletin: August 22, 1928)

As announcemnts were made for each class, women and girls rushed to register for those that caught their interest, letting them learn new subjects and pick up skills to enrich their lives.

Class announcements often appeared in local newspapers. (The Honolulu Advertiser: September 28, 1919)

The Honolulu Advertiser: November 12, 1922

To some women, YWCA was the only resource they could turn to better their lives. Here is one account by our General Secretary Lucie G. Ford who spoke in 1928 about the important work of our education department.

“Recently a Portuguse woman, aged 34 years, came into the Y.W.C.A. and stated that she wanted to learn to read and write English. How she escaped the advantages of a primary education is not known but she is now studying English. This is only one of the incidents that we are facing and meeting.”

While providing learning opportunities for women and girls of Hawai'i, more women also sought to support our work by becoming staff members. The community was often informed about their movements and activities in local news coverage. Some women moved from the mainland to join our team.

Honolulu Star-Bulletin: September 24, 1923

-Noriko Namiki, YWCA O‘ahu CEO

A Moment in Our History: Growing a Community Resource

A Moment in Our History: Women Helping Women for More than a Century

A Moment in our History: Elizabeth Fuller