The common thread running through the personal stories of those whose lives were touched by Palama Settlement is that it has provided a strong sense of ohana over the years, a safe haven, a home away from home. Here, some individuals share their experiences of how the social-service agency set them and their children up for success.

A haven for a girl from crowded home

State Sen. Donna Mercado Kim’s parents met at the Palama Settlement pool as teenagers, and years later she and her four siblings would spent afternoons there.

"It was a haven for me as a child," Kim said. "I took hula, arts and crafts, cooking and whatever classes were offered."

Her family resided in a two-bedroom walk-up apartment with no running hot water that was a five-minute walk to the settlement. Kim said she learned to play chess and took woodworking and craft classes, activities she still enjoys today.

"I learned to swim, dance and play pool and badminton," she said. The fees were 10 cents a day back then.

The family couldn’t afford the cost of camp at Palama Uka, in the mountains of Haleiwa, "so my father would sell sweet bread and Portuguese sausage to his co-workers as a fundraiser." Kim also sold the items door-to-door.

"At camp, we’d go hiking, mud- and grass-sliding, to the beach, play games and sing campfire songs. We also learned about the environment, about preservation and sustainability. There was a finale at the end of camp for families. It was a big deal," Kim recalled. "If it wasn’t for Palama Settlement, I don’t know where I’d be today."

Kim, now a Moanalua resident, introduced Palama Settlement to her son when he was about 12 years old. "I signed him up for ukulele lessons with Brother Noland, who tied music and basketball together," she said.

Her son, now 22, also participated in the basketball program. "There were scrappy players and they needed to share uniforms due to a lack of funding," she said. "I wanted him to see that things are not always so easy."

Kim says mentors were always available to listen or offer advice. "We knew all of the staff and would talk story with them. They were like extended family."

Surfer sneaked in to learn to swim

Ben Aipa, a member of the International Surfing Hall of Fame and a renowned surfboard shaper, recalls a time when he couldn’t swim. But after nearly drowning while trying to help someone who was struggling in a local swimming hole, he had a sudden urge to learn to stay afloat.

The incident led the 10-year-old Aipa to sneak into the Palama Settlement pool on Sundays at 3 a.m. "They would drain and clean the pool and only fill it halfway for lessons on Monday," he explained.

After a couple of weeks, he was caught in the act but instead of being turned in to authorities, he was allowed to participate in swim classes and other sports.

"I had to work to swim. I couldn’t afford to pay the membership fees so I would clean the locker room and pick up rubbish," he said.

Aipa said he came from a hardworking plantation family, so cleaning up and other duties were nothing new.

Eventually, he competed as a member of the Palama swim team and became a junior leader. "Swim meets were really popular back in the ’50s and ’60s. Everyone on the Palama team wasn’t from the same school. It was neat knowing the kids from different schools," he said.

"A lot of people came from low-income, welfare families. Palama gave them opportunities, both athletic and educational."

Now 70, Aipa maintains his shop, Aipa Surfboards, and continues to serve as a coach and mentor.

"I could have ended up at the boys’ home if I didn’t get started there," he said.

"Palama Settlement was like a second home to me. Every time I pass by Liliha, I’m reminiscing about the old days."

Football, academics and kitchen patrol

Chad Shiraishi spent countless hours playing football on Palama Settlement grounds. "They not only taught us about sports, they taught us academics and responsibility," he said. "My dad grew up playing there, too."

Shiraishi said he also went to the learning center along with his two brothers and sister. "Palama has been really good to us."

The settlement provided food to low-income residents, and Shiraishi recalls his football team’s nightly "kitchen patrol" duty.

"They would feed us dinner Monday to Thursday. The kids at the learning center got out first and the boys on the field finished last. By the time we went to the locker room, put away our equipment and took showers, we were the last to eat, so we were responsible for cleaning up," he said.

Shiraishi says the lessons he learned at Palama Settlement have stuck with him.

"I’ve had my ups and downs, but they taught me to go straight. It finally kicked in," he said.

Shiraishi hopes he is an inspiration to the boys he now coaches at Palama, including his 12-year-old son Chad. "I’m trying to give back. The kids need help both physically and mentally to guide them the right way," he said.

"My dad put us in sports so we’d stay off the streets. They taught us to be humble. You can go far … you just need to be determined," Shiraishi said. "Palama has put a lot of good athletes on the map. They really help you get to the next level."

Palama’s Pakolea Pop Warner football team is having a great season this year and is vying for an opportunity to represent Hawaii in the 2011 Pop Warner National Championship next month in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Sons’ success due to strong programs

Waianae resident George Hanohano, 52, didn’t want his sons to play contact sports. He suffered an injury while playing football at an early age, ending his dream of a career as a professional athlete.

But his wife, Rhonda, had different plans for their boys, Brandon, Desmond and Geordon. She signed them up for football, volleyball, basketball and baseball at Palama Settlement.

"In order for them to play they needed to earn time on the field," she said. "Nothing is handed to you on a silver platter. No matter what you do in life you have to earn it. That’s how the program was structured."

Team members’ families were expected to participate in a range of activities, George explained. "We went to the haunted house, Thanksgiving Day dinners and Christmas celebrations. My wife served as team mom for many years. I was in charge of keeping all of the fathers cool-headed during the games. It’s just a game … it was for the kids," he said.

The Hanohanos’ three beefy boys excelled at sports. Brandon, 27, was named most valuable player in his first year and also won awards for basketball. He now works at Pearl Harbor.

Geordon, 21, is a defensive lineman for the University of Hawaii Warriors, and Desmond, 25, joined the Navy a couple years ago.

"I started off as water boy. When I got old enough my parents let me play," Geordon Hanohano said. "Palama really helped me to become a good student athlete and prepared me for the future."

Now as a football Warrior, "when I see the kids from Palama, I shake their hands. They may not even know who I am, but I remember being in their shoes, doing the same things. That makes me smile."

His dad strongly believes his sons’ success stems from their humble beginnings at Palama.

"The programs served them well, made them productive citizens," he said "The programs at Palama were second to none. They really made you feel like family."