At Home In Mililani.
The Rural Branch
In 1924, the Rural Branch was established to support Y Boys’ Clubs scattered throughout remote areas outside of Honolulu. Interest in the Clubs had exploded from 50 to 1,200 members, with many from new immigrant families or local plantations. Although the Rural Branch lacked a building and the boys were spread out in isolated areas, creative volunteer leaders organized athletic events, social gatherings, camping, and civic and service activities.
Rooted in Wahiawa
In 1947, Dokuritsu Wahiawa Language School donated their property to the Y, and the building was inaugurated as the Wahiawa YMCA. The Branch featured programs for youth and teens, Y’s Men’s Clubs and summer fun programs. A decade later, the YMCA outgrew the school, sold the property, and built a new facility on Kilani and Koa Street on land donated by the Hawaiian Pineapple Company. The new building, dedicated on April 1, 1960, was named the Rural YMCA Branch, and later in 1972, the West Oahu YMCA.
Go West Young Family
The H-2 freeway opened in 1972 and families raced westward to fill the new suburbs. By 1981, more than 22,000 residents lived in Mililani Town. The YMCA followed. In 1989, Castle and Cooke, the developers of Mililani Town, donated land for the Y's new $2 million YMCA complex in Mililani. The Y moved its Wahiawa West Oahu operations into the new branch and renamed it the Mililani West Oahu YMCA.
