Focus Hawaii Susannah Wesley Community Center

Authors

• Dominic Inocelda
• David Gibson

Files

Description

Hosted by Lance Chase, this episode of Focus Hawaii features Dominic Inocelda, Program Executive, and David Gibson, Development Director of the Susannah Wesley Community Center, one of Hawaiʻi’s oldest and most impactful social‑service organizations. They trace the Center’s origins back to 1899, when Methodist missionaries began teaching English and sewing to immigrant women before transforming the program into a children’s home in the early 1900s. Now a multi‑service community center in Kalihi, the organization provides youth outreach, gang‑prevention programs, leadership development, senior meal service, mental‑health partnerships, family support, emergency food distribution, and practicum opportunities for university social‑work students. The episode highlights the Center’s major $2.6 million facility expansion, supported through partnerships with foundations, government agencies, and community donors, doubling its service capacity and adding a gym, computer lab, recreation spaces, and improved community facilities. In discussing their mission, the guests emphasize collaboration with other agencies, adapting to emerging needs—including rising homelessness—and continuing the Center’s historic commitment to immigrants, families, youth, and vulnerable residents across Oʻahu.

Length of Video

00:29:27

File Size

2.5GB

Archives Call Number

22.FH

Air Date

9-10-1997

Keywords

Susannah Wesley Community Center, Focus Hawaii, Lance Chase, Dominic Inocelda, David Gibson, Kalihi community services, youth outreach Hawaii, gang prevention programs, senior meal site, social services Oʻahu, United Methodist Church mission, immigrant support Hawaii, early childhood assistance, emergency food pantry, nonprofit expansion Hawaii, community partnerships, social‑work practicums, Hawaiʻi human services, Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Kalihi recreation center, multi‑service nonprofit Hawaiʻi

Recommended Citation

Inocelda, Dominic and Gibson, David, "Focus Hawaii Susannah Wesley Community Center" (1997). Focus Hawaii. 140.
https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/focushawaii/140