KS celebrates opening of Kalanihookaha Community Learning Center in Nānākuli

KS leaders, project partners and Waiʻanae Coast community members gather at the front of the newly blessed Kalanihookaha Community Learning Center. The life-sized humpback whale sculpture – Koholā Ola, was brought to life by the many hands of Waiʻanae Moku keiki and community members under the guidance of artist and area resident Sooriya Kumar.

Apr. 27, 2021

Contributed by Communication Group Staff

Kamehameha Schools, its project partners and Wai‘anae Coast community members celebrated the opening of the new Kalanihookaha Community Learning Center (KCLC) in Nānākuli Village Center with a small blessing and open house.

Named for the professional legacy of Dr. Agnes Kalanihookaha Cope, known fondly by many as “Auntie Aggie,” a longtime Nānākuli resident and champion for Native Hawaiian health, education, culture and the arts; the new center will serve as a place for gathering and learning for community residents and program partners alike.

KCLC will also support ‘āina-based programs, career development and training, and provide a home for lifelong learning opportunities for Native Hawaiians and those in the surrounding community.

“We recognize the many organizations lifting our lāhui in this community,” said KS Regional Director Community Strategies Kalei Kailihiwa KSK’93. “With Kalanihookaha Community Learning Center completed, we will be looking to these partners to create, transform and nurture environments that foster ʻōiwi leadership.”

The vision for KCLC was made possible through vital partnerships with entities such as the State Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, the Nānākuli Hawaiian Homestead Community Association, and support from the Hawaiian Community Development Board.

Led by Auntie Aggie’s son, Kamaki Kanahele, the NHHCA has an office at KCLC and will use the center as a base for their education programs and efforts. KS and its community partners will further support Auntie Aggie’s professional legacy of health, education, culture and arts.

The $10.9 million learning center broke ground in April 2019 and completed construction a year later but delayed opening and programming due to COVID-19. The resulting project is a single-story building that encompasses 6,828 square feet and includes a large multi-purpose room with flexible space, a covered lānai for indoor and outdoor use, a serving kitchen, a large pavilion, and pā or outdoor staging area.

Fronting KCLC is a striking, life-sized humpback whale sculpture – Koholā Ola, brought to life by the many hands of Waiʻanae Moku keiki and community members under the guidance of artist and area resident Sooriya Kumar. The koholā symbolizes one of the highest, most sacred forms of Kanaloa and signifies knowledge, intelligence and deep connection.

KCLC will begin supporting programs focused on youth 16 years of age through young adults. In its first year, the center has committed to program partnerships with the State Department of Education’s Papahana ‘o Kaiona Alternative Learning Program for at-risk high school students and Makaha Cultural Learning Center’s trades certification program.

In subsequent years, additional program partners that are able to accelerate the pace, scale, and reach to develop ʻōiwi leaders such as Leeward Community College, American Job Centers, and the Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center will have an impact at KCLC.

The Waiʻanae coast community is invited to visit and tour the facility. For more information, visit www.kalanihookaha.org/ or contact KCLC at 843-9655.

From left to right: KS Regional Director Kalei Kailihiwa KSK’93, Auntie Aggie’s son Kamaki Kanahele, KS CEO Jack Wong and KS Trustee Lance Wilhelm KSK’83 celebrate the opening of Kalanihookaha Community Learning Center.