Boys and Girls Club of Hawaiʻi celebrates 50 years of legacy

Paddy Kauhane, president and CEO of Boys and Girls Club of Hawaiʻi, sees a future where there is an after-school club serving local youth in every community statewide. To accomplish this, her vision is to build capacity through acquiring new club facilities and partnering with community to create school-based learning centers.

Currently, BGCH has 10 clubs, including a teen center, across Oʻahu and Kauaʻi that provide thousands of local youths annually with meals, mentorship, academic support and leadership development. The organization spends more than $2,400 per keiki and has a $9 million annual budget, per Kauhane.

One of her goals this year is to ensure more keiki have access to these opportunities.

Demand for afterschool programs in the Islands is “enormous,” according to Hawaiʻi Afterschool Alliance, which reported that in 2026, more than 74,000 children whose parents want afterschool programs do not have access to them.

Memories of BGCH over the past five decades. — Memories of BGCH over the past five decades: Teens at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol. (Boys and Girls Club of Hawaiʻi)

“Right now, we are focusing our attention on teens (middle and high school age),” Kauhane told Aloha State Daily in mid-May. “We feel like we have such an opportunity to help them ensure that not only they are healthy emotionally, mentally and physically, but that they graduate on time and are in a good place. We want to make sure they’ve gone through a period of self-exploration … We want to open their view so that they understand what’s available to them. And so, we build their self-efficacy so that there’s nothing standing in their way to achieving success. They are worthy and able to achieve their dreams.”

“We’re so proud of these kids. They are so resilient.”

Kauhane added that 94% of the families BGCH serve are considered low-income. Affordability is a priority for the organization: It costs $25 per year for youth to become a member of BCGH and $10 per year for teens.

“We keep [parents’] kids safe while they go to work, and if they can’t access our programs, they may have to make decisions like, ‘Do I let my kid stay home alone?’ or ‘Do I not work?’ So, these challenges filter through Hawaiʻi’s [high] cost of living,” she said. “Kids always come to the clubs hungry, some of them may not have dinner when they get home.”

Building maintenance and updated safety requirements are also top-of-mind for Kauhane, who added that some of the clubs were damaged during the Kona Low storms in March.

Beyond physical safety, another priority at the clubs is having fun, she said, adding that after the kids complete their homework, they can engage in activities spanning from art, music and dance to sports, financial literacy and cooking classes, among others.

BGCH Kauai Clubhouse Member Activity — Memories of BGCH over the past five decades: BGCH Kauaʻi Clubhouse member activity (Courtesy Boys and Girls Club of Hawaiʻi)

With more than 35 years of experience in the local nonprofit sector, Kauhane joined BGCH nearly a decade ago, first as its chief financial and operating officer before taking the helm in 2019.

“I never aspired to be the CEO, but I love it now,” she told ASD. “I’ve always, for the most part, worked in nonprofits that serve children, education and culture. It is what I’m passionate about and guides my life personally and professionally.”

Kauhane credits personal mentors like Pono Shim, longtime president and CEO of the Oʻahu Economic Development Board, and her parents for teaching her how to incorporate the value of aloha into work and give back to the community.

She added, “Being Native Hawaiian has always been my go-to; so, how can I bring the unique culture of Hawaiʻi, the melting pot, and honor that in what we do?”

Staff, volunteers and partners are integral to the mission, Kauhane said. BGCH alumni come back to serve and support current club kids through financial aid, as mentors, and more, what she described as the “circle of life.”

“We are celebrating and recognizing the companies whose shoulders we stood on to create the foundation of what we have today,” she said. “How can we focus the next 50 years so that one day no child is waiting for service? That every single one of them (74,000 kids in need of service) has a place to go after school? It might be in the next 250 years but establishing a BGCH in every community in our state. Building capacity through new clubs and school-based learning.”