Lanakila center gets $10,000 gift

Contribution from Great Aloha Run covers 10% of facility's deficit

By Mary Vorsino - Honolulu Advertiser

People in the photo left to right: Carol Jaxon, GAR Racedirector; Karen Takemoto, Lanikila's Program Coordinator;Jerry Rauckhorst President & CEO of Catholic Charities Hawaii; Carole Kai, GAR Founder & Promoter; Jean Hagi, Carole Kai Charities treasurer.

The Great Aloha Run will donate $10,000 to the Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center, which has warned it could close because of funding cuts.

Carole Kai, co-founder of the run, said the organization decided to give to Lanakila because many of its seniors have served as volunteers for the group after participating in an annual free computer course the Great Aloha Run puts on for the elderly.

She also said there are a record number of early entries so far this year for the event, which will be held on Feb. 16.

"When we saw this need (at Lanakila), we decided to act immediately," Kai said.

Lanakila, operated by Catholic Charities Hawaii, is the biggest senior center in the Islands, serving more than 2,000 members ages 60 and older with a slew of classes, tax preparation and food distribution programs, health screenings and volunteer opportunities.

The center is set to celebrate its 40th anniversary next year.

On Monday, Lanakila officials warned that the Kalihi center was facing a $100,000 deficit this fiscal year and a shaky future as government aid and private donations decline. Many in the community have since called for philanthropists and the state to step in to save the senior center.

Kai said the $10,000 will be handed over today in a ceremony.

"This represents 10 percent of their deficit," she said.

She added that the Great Aloha Run has always been about helping communities thrive. "Our whole reason for putting on this event is so that we could give back to the community," she said yesterday.

Kai said she was able to respond quickly to Lanakila's plea for donations because 6,900 people have already signed up for the Great Aloha Run — a record number of early entries.

The Great Aloha Run, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in February, is an 8.15-mile foot race that starts at Aloha Tower and ends at Aloha Stadium. It attracts more than 12,000 people each year.