To give back to his community and provide a safe space for the children and families who immigrated from the islands of Micronesia to the Big Island of Hawai’i, Max Yarawamai transformed his garden nursery into Wow Wow Park. The name of the park was inspired by the joyful reactions of the kids while they watched it being built in 2014.

Over the years, the kids have loved playing in the park while their parents grew food for their families in the garden. Through hosting culturally-grounded graduation ceremonies for the students in the community each year and witnessing them thrive by simply having a place to play and celebrate, the vision of Wow Wow Learning Center was born.

Wow Wow Learning Center is a community-led solution to the deep-rooted challenges that the Micronesian community continues to face in Hawai’i. These are the same challenges experienced first-hand by Max in the 1970’s while adapting to life on the Big Island as a teenager.