The Island of Hawaii YMCA is expecting its biggest crowd yet for its upcoming dance party for adults ready to have a good time for a good cause.
The YMCA’s “Hot Summer Night” dance party is for adults ages 21 and older and features live music from Vizion 20/20, a local band who plays for free to raise money for the Y’s Family Visitation Center program.
Each year, the band plays about five dance parties at the YMCA to help the program. In four years, every party they’ve played has sold out, according to CEO Wendy Botelho.
“Vizion 20/20 has been an absolute blessing. This show coming up has standing room only, which works out because everyone just dances the whole night,” Botelho said. “Many of the people who come each time used to come to the Y as teens, so it’s a night where they can relive their past and feel young again.”
Vizion 20/20 plays covers of music from the 70s, 80s and 90s, which often brings an older crowd. Some people will buy a table out for a party and some will come solo ready to dance the night away.
“A large portion of the crowd is coming from a certain change, like a divorce, a death in the family or empty nest syndrome,” said Administrative Office Manager Martha Rodillas. “Going out to a bar can be a little spooky for them sometimes, so they flock here because the YMCA feels safe and they know that the crowd will be nice.”
All of the proceeds raised from the dance parties with Vizion 20/20, as well as the YMCA’s Cardio Queens Drag Shows hosted by Palehua, go toward funding the FVC.
“The YMCA runs the Family Visitation Center (at a deficit) each month, however, our Board of Directors has made the personal decision to support the program regardless,” Botelho said. “They made this decision, because the unfortunate fact is that domestic violence and toxic home environments can happen to anybody at any time.”
The FVC is used when children need to go from one parent to another without their parents meeting, when visiting a parent requires supervision, when parents cannot make arrangements for visits, when a parent is concerned about the safety of children with the other parent, or assistance is needed for children to visit other adults.
Originally funded through the Judiciary, the FVC was created 30 years ago by then-young prosecutors Charlene Iboshi Wagner, since retired, and Mitch Roth, now the mayor. When the YMCA took over, there was funding coming in from the Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA, but that hasn’t been the case for a long time.
To help supplement the costs for the staff, security officers and surveillance equipment, the YMCA is always looking for ways to raise funds through grants and fundraisers.
Over the years, the YMCA received awards from the Hawaii Women’s Legal Fund to purchase 16 of 32 surveillance cameras, which have proven more than useful.
“We’ve had to turn in footage from our cameras to the courts before and have seen some things that are just not good,” Rodillas said. “It continues to be very important for us to have as many cameras and security officers around for the safety of the kids and the staff.”
The Waiwai grant for nonprofit organizations and grants from the Hawaii Community Foundation go toward staffing, which is the program’s largest expense.
“We place a lot of importance on staff consistency, because the relationships they build with the kids help so much,” Botelho added. “We employ trained, trauma-informed professionals as our family visitation associates and it’s so important that they are here.”
Parental parties access Family Visitation Center by court order or self-referral and they must pay $20 for an interview and assessment before any visits take place. The YMCA will not track anyone down and both parties must complete the process to make it happen.
Once parents start using FVC, the YMCA oversees visits and custody exchanges that are supervised or intermittently supervised. The visits are usually one hour per week, but are dependent on court orders, parent availability and child preferences.
“This is a child-led program, so if a child doesn’t want to see their parents, then they do not have to. We just make sure the environment is comfortable for the children,” Botelho said. “All 1,900 of our members know about the center, they understand what it means and they make the space a really pleasant place for the kids.”
With help from the funds raised during the annual Christmas tree sale, many of the children involved with FVC are able to attend the YMCA’s camps during school breaks, giving them more time in the community.
“These are our most vulnerable children in the community and when we can afford to have them in camp, we are able to see their growth and development in real time,” Botelho said.
“It’s a great example of our programs and events working together toward the vision of strengthening the community,” Rodillas added.
The “Hot Summer Night” dance party will be at the Island of Hawaii YMCA from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. While it is technically sold out, tickets can be purchased at the door for $25.
The next Vizion 20/20 dance party is set for Saturday, Oct. 26, and will be a Halloween costume contest. For more information on the YMCA’s upcoming events, visit islandofhawaiiymca.org/events/event/.
Information on the Family Visitation Center can be found at islandofhawaiiymca.org/programs/family-visitation-center/.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com
