2015 Donor Newsletter V.2

The Hilo Child & Family Center is celebrating its first anniversary this fall. While the program is young, it has fast become a gathering place for Hilo families.

To welcome the community and build interest, the Center hosts a variety of activities including coffee hours, cookie decorating, and card making. These events are open to the public and include an educational component to help participants learn important life skills.

According to Christine Terry, Director of East Hawai‘i Island Programs, “One of our most successful offerings was our Self-Care Class. Participants learned about good skincare, makeup application, and hair care. The classes helped teens feel more comfortable opening up in therapy, and established the connection between taking care of one self and positive feelings.”

Recently, the Center partnered with Project Vision Hawaii to host a vision screening and also launched a Kamalama Parenting Series. Kamalama (“The Light”) is a ten-week parenting program based on eighteen traditional Hawaiian values. Through Kamalama, parents learn to care for their children in ways that cherish them and lift them up.