The Place That’s Built for Play

What does it take to build a place for play?

A little dirt helps. So do trees to gather beneath, grass to run across, gardens to explore and plenty of room for big imaginations. Add a few muddy shoes, some belly laughs and the occasional very serious conversation between keiki, and you are getting somewhere.

But at Imua Family Services, building a place for play has always meant something more.

Play is how children explore their world. It is where curiosity takes root, friendships begin, confidence grows and children discover what they can do. It is why play sits at the heart of Imua’s work and why the Will Smith Imua Discovery Garden has become such an important part of its future.

Simply put, everyone deserves a childhood filled with play.

And there is already plenty of it happening at the Garden.

Today, the six-acre property is alive with children and families participating in Imua Preschool programs, learning and growing in an environment intentionally shaped by nature, connection and discovery. What was once a private and little-known historic property has been transformed into a vibrant community space where Maui’s keiki can explore the world around them.

Now, Imua is ready to build the next piece of that vision.

The final building project at the Discovery Garden will bring a new Imua Inclusion Preschool and outdoor learning environment to the property, creating a permanent place where children of different abilities can learn, grow and play alongside one another.

This dream has been years in the making.

Imua launched its A Million Dreams Capital Campaign in 2020 with a vision for an inclusive, outdoor, nature-based early learning campus. Today, that vision has reached an exciting milestone. Mandatory off-site improvements are complete, construction approvals have been secured, Castaway Construction has been retained, and the final building permit has been approved.

It’s time to build.

And we already have a glimpse of what that future can look like.

Following the August 2023 wildfires, Imua created Hawaii’s first outdoor nature-based preschool at the Discovery Garden under a temporary license. The program supports children impacted by the disaster and continues to serve children in Central Maui. What happened there reinforced something Imua has long believed: nature, connection and play can create powerful opportunities for children to learn, heal and thrive.

Now comes the home stretch.

Of the $10.7 million needed for construction and site work, more than $7.56 million has already been raised. Approximately $3.1 million remains to complete construction, including the new preschool building and remaining improvements at the Discovery Garden.

Getting this far has taken a community. Individuals, families, businesses, foundations and partners have all helped transform a big idea into a place you can walk through, play in and watch come alive. Now, we are inviting our community to help us finish what we started.

Because the finish line is not really about a building.

It is about the children who will fill it.

It is about the laughter that will drift across the lawn, the muddy hands digging in the garden, the friendships that will begin beneath the trees and the children who will discover, perhaps for the very first time, just how much they are capable of.

This is our chance to build that place together.

Every gift to the A Million Dreams Capital Campaign brings the Imua Discovery Garden one step closer to completion and one step closer to welcoming generations of Maui’s keiki into a place designed for them to explore, belong, learn and grow.

Help us cross the finish line. Help us build what comes next. And most importantly, help us make sure there is always a place built for play.