The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation on July 8 gave Catholic Charities Hawaii a $5 million grant, kicking off the public phase of its $28 million capital campaign to buy and renovate its 2.2-acre campus in Makiki.
The property, the former site of the former First Presbyterian Church, will be the permanent home of Catholic Charities, which on Oahu is now spread over three locations in Honolulu
Catholic Charities president and chief executive officer Jerry Rauckhorst called the donation, the largest the agency has ever received, “unbelievable” and a tremendous gift to “Catholic Charities, the diocese, and the community.”
By providing a single site for all the agency’s Oahu programs, Rauckhorst said, the new campus “will offer much easier access and more effectively offer our services in a more holistic and seamless manner.”
The property will be named the Clarence T.C. Ching Campus.
Rauckhorst said the Ching grant will bring the total amount of money committed to date to the capital campaign at $17.1 million, more than 60 percent of the goal.
“But while we are on target, there is still plenty of money to be raised,” the CEO said. “We are in need of further contributions.”
The campus is on the corner of Keeaumoku and Nehoa Streets in a residential neighborhood 10 minutes from downtown Honolulu. Besides the church sanctuary building which will be turned into office and meeting space, the property holds six other structures containing offices, meeting rooms, a professional kitchen and auditorium and other facilities.
Renovation work will begin in the fall and is expected to be completed by October of next year.
The only Catholic Charities office now housed at the site is its Statewide Resource Families program.
The Makiki site will replace the two-story Catholic Charities building at 250 Vineyard Street, the offices rented in the Aloha United Way building at 200 North Vineyard Boulevard, and the structure housing immigration programs on the grounds of the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa.
“We are honored to be part of Clarence Ching’s historical commitment to our community,” Rauckhorst said, “and we applaud the generous support the foundation gives for the benefit of individuals and families statewide.”
The late Clarence Ching was a well-known Catholic developer, realtor, banker and philanthropist whose foundation, founded in 1967, has supported Catholic Charities in the past.