Punahou service
has new homeThe Luke Center aims to
help students help the community
Punahou School officially opened the new home of its Luke Center for Public Service yesterday, a resource center that serves as a bridge for students and teachers who want to reach out to help the broader community.
"There are public service centers at the university level on the mainland, but as far as I know, we are the only one that serves the kindergarten through 12th grade," said Carole Iacovelli, director of the center. "Through service our students are challenged to take their learning and put it to meaningful use."
The Luke service program started in the fall of 2002 and was first housed in a small office, using a picnic table outdoors as a conference room, said Laurel Bowers Husain, director of development and communications at Punahou.
The new 2,487-square-foot center, adjacent to Thurston Chapel, includes a large workroom, a conference room overlooking the lily pond at the heart of the campus, and staff offices. A $1 million gift from the K.J. Luke family underwrote the new facility and program, which serves as a clearinghouse of information about volunteer opportunities and a central location for outside agencies to contact.
"Students can come here any time of day to explore service opportunities," Iacovelli said. "We have resources, notebooks and information about community agencies. And there's somebody here to help them home in on what might be a good fit for their time and energy."
Students in the advanced Chinese class, for example, volunteer at the immigration center to help people who do not speak English fill out the necessary forms, she said. The Ahupuaa Student Council, a partnership among several schools in the area, meets regularly at the center to plan its environmental activities.
The center, modeled on Stanford University's Haas Center for Public Service, works with local partners ranging from the Hawaii Nature Center to the Boys and Girls Club.