Representatives of Liliʻuokalani Center, a new youth program hub owned by Liliʻuokalani Trust, along with the four co-owners and members of The Jabbawockeez, the white gloved and masked hip-hop dance group that took off in 2008 after winning “America’s Best Dance Crew,” addressed local media Thursday abound their partnership and purpose in the community, among other topics.
While visiting Hawaiʻi, The Jabbawockeez have performances set for staff and local partners, as well as an audience of 400 Trust beneficiaries, or kamaliʻi, from across the Islands, which will be on Saturday, Sept. 6. This is part of the organizationʻs “Youth iHuddle,” a biennial, daylong event, this year held at the new center on Ward Avenue. The space was formerly the Honolulu Club, and before that, TGI Fridays.
“This celebration is especially meaningful, as we recently honored Queen Liliʻuokalani’s birthday, her legacy of aloha, resilience and dedication to the people of Hawai’i continues to guide the Trust and inspires work being done at the center,” said Brook Lee, former Miss Universe, who served as moderator.
Liliʻuokalani Center Executive Director Jennifer Laʻa said at the press conference, “The Liliʻuokalani Center is a 97,000-square-foot hub serving Native Hawaiian youth, primarily 12-24 years old. ... Itʻs been completely renovated and is a beautiful space of play, imagination and exploration from a black box theater to an innovation lounge, culinary teaching and arts space. We want people to try out new things, spark passion and strive toward excellence.
“We are purposefully and intentionally partnering with organizations that serve the same population. We have a partnership with Child Welfare [Services]. We are working with judges from across the state. We want to provide a place for Native Hawaiian young folks that donʻt have access to resources. Thatʻs our primary target audience.”
When asked about their connection to Hawaiʻi, The Jabbawockeez co-owner Ryan Paguio shared about his personal familial ties and the crews’ performances here over the years. “The people of Hawai’i are always welcoming when we come here. They make us feel like family, or ʻohana.”
The crew took time to learn about Liliʻuokalani, and even practiced pronouncing her name correctly. One thing they learned from the crowd, was how to shaka.
“Hawai’i isn’t just a place we visit — it’s a family we cherish. Supporting Liliʻuokalani Center is our way of honoring the culture, history and aloha that inspires us every time we touch the Islands,” said co-owner Joseph Larot in a statement.
Co-owner Kevin Brewer said that facilities like this give the next generation of artists greater access, “which is a big deal."
“Hopefully, we have good-hearted people who come out of this space and become a positive, contributing individual to the world, just from having access to a dance studio compared to a garage.”
Having started in a garage themselves, The Jabbawockeez are about to complete their production "TIMELESS" in Las Vegas through Sept. 18 and will debut a new production at MGM Grand this fall. The crew also presented a donation of $65,000 to Liliʻuokalani Trust to bolster programming.
“This fall we have opened about 400 slots and next year we have about 3,000 slots open for kids to come in and take classes,” Laʻa said. “This funding is greatly appreciated and will go toward all of our programs.”
Though the Liliʻuokalani Center is slated to officially start its programs come October, its ʻŌlino Summer Program ran from the end of June to Aug. 1, Laʻa said, adding, “We had 140 kamaliʻi in the space from all over the state. ... It was heartwarming for me to see them building relationships and finding a place of belonging — which is the purpose behind what we do — and they loved each other.”
Heide Lilo, managing director for kamaliʻi well-being, told Aloha State Daily that her favorite part of her role is directly working with kamaliʻi and their families. She joined Liliʻuokalani Trust nine months ago, with 25 years of experience working for Child Welfare Services in two states.
“I have passion for what I do and enjoy being able to home in on Native Hawaiians, bringing a cultural perspective to our programming,” she said. “With any new program, we have been scaling up slowly and meeting kamaliʻi where they are at.”
To celebrate the Queen’s birthday this month, she said some of the Trust’s staff attended a lei draping ceremony at her statue at the Hawai’i State Capitol and attended Ali’i Sunday at Kawaiahaʻo Church. Other events can be found here.
According to Liliʻuokalani Trust CEO Tina Keane, the team is currently larger than 200 staff and is expected to grow to more than 300 employees by the end of the year.
“Even with the nice spaces and resources, if we don’t have passionate people to help connect with the youth, we can’t execute. It really takes teammates working together,” Lilo said.
Liliʻuokalani Center broke ground in 2023 and brought in a youth advisory group from Nā Leo O Kamaka’eha to help with branding and furnishing, along with dreaming up its programs that span wellness, food services, art, sports, entrepreneurship and technology. Workforce development and mentorship are also key focuses engrained throughout.
Murals throughout the center were created by artists Jack Soren and Brandy Alia.
Established in 1909, Liliʻuokalani Trust has served thousands of kamaliʻi through direct services and collaborations with community partners. The private operating foundation saw revenues exceeding $40 million in 2023, per ProPublica. According to its latest annual report, the trust endowment provided $27.5 million to fund all direct charitable expenses for the same year.
Registration is open for fall programs at the Liliʻuokalani Center. For more information, visit onipaa.org or https://liliuokalanicenter.org.
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
