More than a year ago, Waianae Clubhouse Productions was named a winner in the Hogan Nonprofit Business Plan Competition organized by the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program at Chaminade University.

It was a turning point for us. It made those who have invested faith and funds in our start-up enterprise sit up and take notice that others were seeing us become what we aspired to be. More than anything, we offered a safe haven for the young: a learning, life-enhancing place where kids from 7 to 17 years of age could spend their time after school. What do they pay? Annual dues of $1 a year.

This small nonprofit enterprise recently took the first steps on a modest for-profit journey. Waianae Clubhouse Productions had its first paying customer: Ark of Safety recently completed 20 hours of recording time at the studio, laying down tracks of individual instruments and vocals and mixing them for use at their church conference and services.

We believe that customers such as Ark of Safety like the fact that they are supporting a local enterprise that is serving the local community, especially our young people.

In these tough times, those services are more important than ever. Our five core programs center around building character and leadership, education and career development, health and life skills, the arts, and sports, fitness and recreation.

The kids who spend time with us after school and in the summer program are coached by youth-development professionals who help them become financially literate and who channel their energies into entrepreneurial undertakings.

The move into offering the use of the Clubhouse’s excellent recording facilities to adult musicians — or anyone needing a recording studio — is a way to both expose the young people to the ins and outs of building and managing a business and at the same time create an income stream to sustain the Club’s services to Waianae youth.

The Clubhouse is also connected to the justice system and young offenders get a chance to "do their time" by participating in our teen programs instead of being sent to a detention center.

The Hogan Program recognized Waianae Clubhouse Productions as a project that fit its aspiration to train young people to "do social things that make business sense and business things that make social sense." We believe it also connects meaningfully to the Boys and Girls Club mission of inspiring Hawaii’s youth to become responsible citizens.