On Thursday, July 30, AHL joined Child & Family Service (CFS), community leaders, donors, partners and supporters to celebrate the blessing of CFS’s new East Hawaiʻi Island Community Resource & Counseling Center in Hilo.
The gathering marked an important milestone for CFS and for the individuals and families it serves. The nearly 6,000-square-foot facility provides CFS with a permanent home in Hilo and expands access to provide counseling, family support and resources that help children, individuals and families thrive and build stronger, more resilient futures across Hawaiʻi Island.
Official CFS Announcement
““Child & Family Service Opens Permanent Hilo Office with $6M in Funding | Child & Family Service celebrated the opening of its new East Hawaiʻi Island Community Resource & Counseling Center with a traditional blessing. The nearly 6,000-square-foot permanent facility expands access to counseling, family support and other resources for children, individuals and families across Hawaiʻi Island.”
Read the full announcement >
AHL is honored to have served as the interior designer for the new center, working closely with Child & Family Service to create a welcoming environment that reflects both the organization's mission and the unique identity of Hilo.
The interior design is rooted in the Hawaiian proverb Hilo i ka Ua Kanilehua ("Hilo of the Kanilehua rain"), which celebrates the gentle rains that nourish the land and sustain life. For the design team, this became a metaphor for the care, healing and support that Child & Family Service provides to children, individuals and families throughout East Hawaiʻi.
That concept is expressed throughout the interior through two complementary themes: moana (ocean) and ʻāina (land). The first floor draws inspiration from the ocean, using flowing forms, layered textures and a calming palette that reflects Hilo's coastal waters. The second floor celebrates the land through native landscapes, greenery and volcanic influences that symbolize growth, resilience and protection. Together, these environments create a sense of comfort, connection and belonging for everyone who enters the center.
Beyond the overall interior design, AHL developed custom donor recognition and environmental graphics that reinforce the project's story. Working with local artist Kristie Kosmides, the design team integrated custom murals throughout the facility that celebrate Hawaiʻi Island's natural landscapes. One mural depicts a mauna (mountain) landscape featuring ʻōhiʻa, a native flowering tree, and Koaʻe kea, the white-tailed tropicbird.
The donor recognition wall extends the moana theme through native reef fish set against an ocean-inspired backdrop and the manaʻo, "Aʻohe hana nui ke alu ʻia" ("No task is too big when done together"). Each element was intentionally designed to celebrate the collective generosity of the donors and supporters whose commitment made the new center possible while reinforcing the welcoming experience throughout the facility.
The new center also includes a dedication to former CFS Board member and former Stronger Families Fund® chair Earl Stoner and his late wife, Sandi Osorio Stoner. Earl and Sandi envisioned and launched the effort to create a permanent CFS resource and counseling center in Hilo.
Their vision was carried forward through the work of CFS staff, community partners, donors, supporters and the design team. The dedication acknowledges the beginning of that effort and the shared commitment that brought it to completion.
The blessing provided an opportunity to honor Sandi’s memory, recognize Earl’s continued leadership and welcome the facility as a resource for generations of families in East Hawaiʻi.
For AHL, contributing to the CFS Hilo Community Resource & Counseling Center reflects the firm’s longstanding commitment to using design in service of the community. Through its 1% Program, AHL dedicates time and design expertise to nonprofit and community-focused projects across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
This center represents what can happen when an organization’s vision is strengthened by committed partners, community supporters and a shared belief in the power of a welcoming place.
AHL is grateful to have been part of this meaningful project and to celebrate the opening of a new home for Child & Family Service in Hilo.
