Soon after our YWCA O'ahu was founded, our board of directors spent quite some time raising funds to secure a home that would allow enough space for various activities. As a local newspaper reported in 1900:

“From its formation, the YWCA has been greatly hampered by the lack of suitable quarters….”
(The Honolulu Republican: October 2, 1900)

In the first 25 years of our organization’s history, our board launched two campaigns – the first one took place in 1915 to raise $35,000 (equivalent to more than $1 million today). Ten years later, we launched another campaign with the goal ten times larger than the first one to secure the lot on Richards Street and to build Laniākea.

The campaign of 1915 was to acquire the old YMCA building from the Elks, a structure that stood at the corner of Hotel and Alakea. Our efforts were endorsed by local businesses and organizations including the Chamber of Commerce.

Honolulu Star-Bulletin reporting on our campaign. (July 31, 1915)

The first permanent YWCA O'ahu headquarters on Hotel and Alakea Streets. An additional $11,600 had to be raised for alterations of the building which housed the gym and classrooms. Two pianos were also placed in the building.

We moved into the new office at the end of the year, followed by an opening ceremony in early January of 1916. More than 2,000 invitations were sent out for that event. A member of the national YWCA Board named Helen Taylor flew into Honolulu from her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio to deliver the dedicatory address.

The Start-Bulletin used its entire first page to share the news about YWCA O'ahu.

The new building afforded more classrooms and the gym which soon attracted even more locals to YWCA. One record shows we had more than 2,000 members and served an average of 700 individuals a day.

The second campaign was focused on creating a much bigger home for the establishment of Laniākea. We formed a special committee for the task of raising more than $10 million. We also hired a fund development professional from the mainland to help make our dream a reality.

Then Governor Wallace R. Farrington making a contribution towards our $350,000 campaign (Honolulu Star-Bulletin: February 11, 1925).

A message in the local paper seeking community support for the creation of Laniākea.

-Noriko Namiki, YWCA O‘ahu CEO

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A Moment in our History: Poetry in Motion