It is terrific news that Imua Family Services is expanding here and opening the West Maui Imua Family Center next month.

Imua Family Services is a state-of-the-art nonprofit that provides a wide range of services to children on Maui, Molokai and Lanai who have disabilities, developmental delays and concerns.

With a roster of more than 50 professionals, the Imua staff helps families overcome of a wide range of developmental delays due to premature births, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Down Syndrome, autism, and hearing or sight impairments.

Keiki receive help with these challenges in their most critical formative years, using play-based instruction designed to help them move forward.

Imua Family Services Executive Director Dean Wong said the organization provides direct service to 2,300 children and their families each year, but there are many more that need help but are not currently accessing services.

With an office open in West Maui – just up Wainee Street from Kaiser Permanente – families can readily access important resources they need during their children’s critical development years.

Equally important, West Maui families won’t have to take long trips to Central Maui to get help.

The Parents Auxiliary of the National Society for Crippled Children, now known as Imua Family Services, was founded in 1947 by concerned parents and community members to help children on Maui, then the Territory of Hawaii, with polio and cerebral palsy.

In April, Imua will host its 70th Anniversary Platinum Jubilee featuring Adrienne Warren at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa. The gala event will mark 70 years of service that began with a small group of caring parents and community members and evolved to be among the top early childhood development organizations in the state.

Imua Family Services’ mission is to: “Empower children and their families to reach their full potential.” IFS will be a very welcome addition to the West Maui community in 2017.