KAILUA — At less than a year old, the Windward Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii is serving some 500 youths and has collected $5 million toward its capital improvement campaign fund.

Last week the Schuler Family Foundation recognized these accomplishments with a $200,000 grant for the fund, which will be used to renovate the Kailua Intermediate School physical education and locker rooms, erect a dome over the basketball court and make other improvements, said Duane Samson, director for the Windward clubhouse.

The campaign goal is $10 million, and he said he expects to collect that within a year.

"There's a need to have a new space because of our growth," Samson said. "It's going to be our future home."

After years of trying to get some kind of teen facility in Kailua, residents were able to persuade the Boys & Girls Club to open a clubhouse on the Windward side in May. The youths meet in the metal shop but that has grown too small, said Samson, who is a Kailua police officer and once served on the Kailua Neighborhood Board.

The Boys & Girls Club offers after-school sessions for teens where they can study; use a computer lab; learn 'ukulele, hula and arts; play sports; or enjoy a play room equipped with a pool table and foosball table at the cost of $1 a year to join, Samson said. Plus, the teens participate in community projects such as Christmas tree collection and graffiti paint-outs, he said.

The organization is hoping to find 1,000 "friends" who will contribute $100 each for the clubhouse operations, Samson said.

"Each kid costs about $360 a year to put through the program," he said. "There's a need and not only in Kailua. We have kids from Kane'ohe, Kahalu'u and Waimanalo."

To become a friend, send your donation to Boys & Girls Club Hawaii, Windward Clubhouse, P.O. Box 1397, Kailua, HI 96734. Reach Samson at 271-2168 for more information.

The Schuler foundation grant is one of three given to Kailua nonprofit groups for a total of $550,000. Castle Medical Center and Le Jardin Academy also received funds.

Castle Medical Center received $100,000 that will go toward completing a $15.5 million, three-year project, including a new wing and renovation of inpatient areas. Castle was able to raise $7 million in grants for the project and the hospital corporation will pay the rest, said Kevin Roberts, president and CEO of the medical center.

"It's the largest capital improvement the hospital has ever seen in 43 years," Roberts said. "It's winding down, but the hospital and healthcare on the Windward side will never be the same. Our physical environment is catching up to the quality that we're known for."

Le Jardin received $250,000 that will be used to develop new buildings to accommodate the growth of the school, school headmaster Adrian Allan said in a press release.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.