Supporters of the Mo'ili'ili center have rallied to stave off foreclosure on a $9 million debt, winning an end-of-the-year extension and some debt forgiveness from its lending institutions.

After the center's fund-raising committee gathered about $6 million in a 47-day campaign, the lenders — Central Pacific Bank, City Bank, Bank of Hawaii and First Hawaiian — forgave about $1.5 million in interest on the loan.

They also gave the center until Jan. 31 to raise the remaining $1.5 million.

Donations, including about $8,000 raised at the center's annual New Year's Festival Jan. 12, have continued to come in, but the First Hawaiian grant represents an enormous leap, said Colbert Matsumoto, who chairs the Committee to Save the Center.

"This gift is a wonderfully generous gesture on the part of First Hawaiian Bank," Matsumoto said in a prepared statement. "This contribution, in addition to the bank's willingness to work with us on restructuring our debt, will make a huge impact on the prospects for a bright future."

Bank officials are heartened by the progress the center has made "working through its financial difficulties," said Walter Dods, the bank's chairman and CEO.

"First Hawaiian wants to do everything it can to insure that the center survives and thrives, because it's such an important institution for both the Japanese community and all of Hawai'i," Dods said.

The committee has been approached by other potential donors, officials said, but is still working on those arrangements, as well as on collecting on pledges.