Celebrating the Anniversary of the JCCCNC and Honoring Paul Osaki and Marjorie Fletcher for Their Many Years of Service and Dedication to the JCCCNC
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Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California CENTER Summer / Fall 2013 | Volume 38 Celebrating the Anniversary of the JCCCNC and honoring Paul Osaki and Marjorie Fletcher for their many years of service and dedication to the JCCCNC “The Place Where the Arts, Culture and Community Come ALIVE” Saturday, September 21, 2013 4:00 - 8:00 P.M. Featuring appetizers from award-winning San Francisco chefs and the main course by Pagoda Floating Restaurant. MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Dear Marj, I want to congratulate you on a recognition long overdue for your service and dedication to the Center. I wish there were words that could truly express how thankful I am to you for working with me for the past 24 years, but even if there were, sometimes a thank you is never enough. I was never quite sure why you stayed to work with me all these years, after having retired from working for the Federal JCCCNC Board Officers government for over 40 years. All I know is that I never deserved to have you here. Kaz Maniwa Chairman of the Board Donna Kotake Back in 1989, I remember when I first heard that a recent retiree named Mrs. Fletcher President who knew nothing about the Center or the San Francisco Japanese American community was going to join Brad Yamauchi our Board of Directors. I thought, this lady must be lost, have the wrong organization or must be crazy! It Vice President Donna Kimura turned out that I was right; you were all of those. I know this because I was too, having just accepted the job Vice President as the new interim Executive Director, but together we somehow figured it out and our lives and the life of Myron Okada this organization would be changed forever. Corporate Secretary Robert Sakai Can you believe it will be a year shy of a quarter century that we have been working together? That’s nearly Chief Financial Officer Dianne Fukami half my entire life! Back then the Center was a very different place - we worked with typewriters and adding Ex-Officio machines, we kept track of our members and donors using index cards, and you even took short-hand for me. There was no gymnasium/community hall and our main focus was the capital campaign and trying to JCCCNC Board of Directors raise hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was difficult back then, but it was good. We worked hard because Terry Akiyama Sherilyn Chew we had big dreams to fulfill and a vision of what this place might one day become. David Fukuda Jeff Maruyama Today, those dreams we used to think about happen every day. The Center is bustling each day with four Don Misumi generations of our community, we offer 100 programs and events each year, and we have even expanded Rumi Okabe Allen Okamoto our programs beyond the San Francisco Bay Area, to include statewide, national and international activities. Keith Onishi We also launched many community and groundbreaking initiatives such as Save the Japanese YWCA, Diane Onizuka Save Japantown Bowl, Preserving Our Japantowns, Japanese American-U.S./Japan relations projects, and Marilyn Oshiro Teresa Serata international youth exchange programs to Japan. We even became an international relief organization when Jon Shindo we needed to for the Kobe earthquake in 1995 and most recently, the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Kyle Tatsumoto Fund. Peter Weber Tamiko Wong But one of the most important things that we were able to achieve was being able to make the Center a Ted Yamasaki home, a place where people want to come, whether it’s to participate in programs, attend events, or just JCCCNC Staff hang out with you. It’s hard to imagine what the Center and the community would be like today without you. Paul Osaki Executive Director Without you most of these accomplishments would not have been possible, because if you had not agreed Marjorie Fletcher to work with me and hang around for all these years I would probably not be working here today. The most Executive Assistant amazing part of us working together for the past 24 years is that you never quit on me, walked out the door, Lori Matoba Deputy Director or left the Center because of something I did or said, although, I am sure you had a foot out the door more Ruby Hata than once. But, I want you to know that out of all the wonderful and incredible things that have happened Director of Financial Services to me at the JCCCNC over the past 25 years, the one that I treasure most is you. Ryan Kimura Director of Programs and Sometimes a thank you is never enough, but I want you to know that you have been the best boss that I ever Community Affairs had and probably the only way that I could ever repay you is to keep working for you for another 25 years! Jennifer Hamamoto Programs and Facilities With appreciation, smiles and a lot of laughs, Manager Yumi Yukawa I want you to know that out of all the Development Manager wonderful and incredible things that have Casey Ikeda Membership Coordinator happened to me at the JCCCNC over the past Matt Okada Programs Coordinator Paul Osaki 25 years, the one that I treasure most is you. Mika Shimizu Office Manager/Receptionist Jerry Kika 2 Summer 2013 - Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California Volunteer Coordinator JCCCNC COMMUNITY www.facebook.com/ Dear JCCCNC Members, LikeJCCCNC Thank you for all of your support, dedication and commitment. As we gathered all the You can become materials for this newsletter I am reminded a fan of the of how incredible our members are. Over JCCCNC on 200 of you helped carry on a wonderful Facebook. Just tradition of the Colma Cemetery Clean log into your up, you ran your hearts out and shared in a Facebook great potluck at the Track Meet Undokai, and account, search everyday I look forward to those wonderful “Japanese Cultural and interactions I get to have with you between Community classes or workshops here at the JCCCNC. Center of As the new Membership Coordinator I want Northern to make sure every member is welcomed California” and and knows how much we appreciate them. click “like.” Fans What I didn’t expect is the warm welcome get the latest and kind words I have received from our information on events going on, as well as many fun facts about the history and staff at the Center and Japantown. members. It is those interactions that remind me how special our members are and how lucky I am to work here. Thank you and if you would like to contact me about anything, please feel free to email me at cikeda@ jcccnc.org or drop by the JCCCNC. With Appreciation, Casey Ikeda Membership Coordinator Mission Statement The JCCCNC is a non-profit organization which strives to meet the evolving needs of the Japanese American community by offering programs, affordable services and administrative support and facilities for other local organizations. The JCCCNC also provides educational, cultural and recreational programs that meet and address the interests and concerns of the community. Our goals remain rooted in preserving the Japanese American cultural and historical heritage as well as fostering the foundation for future generations of Japanese Americans. Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California - Summer 2013 3 JCCCNC COMMUNITY Honoring Our Ancestors: Annual Colma Cemetery Clean-Up In preparation for the 62nd annual Community Memorial Day Services at the Colma Japanese Cemetery, over 200 volunteers from ages 2 to 85 years old gathered on Saturday, May 18 for the JCCCNC’s Annual Cemetery Clean-Up day. Volunteers from around the Bay Area journeyed to the Japanese Colma Cemetery to pull weeds, rake leaves, wipe headstones, and place 400 fresh flowers throughout the three-acre cemetery. “It was touching to see the community come together to beautify the Colma Cemetery to support those who cannot visit anymore,” said volunteer Lauren. This annual community service project organized by the JCCCNC began in 2010 as a way to honor the past, remember those who passed on, bring the community together and educate others In attendance for the clean-up were Deputy Consul General about a place that deeply represents the history of the Japanese Nobuhiro Watanabe and Akira Ishido from the Consulate American community. General of Japan in San Francisco office and June-ko Nakagawa “It was great to see over 200 volunteers of all ages come of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California. together to pay respect to those that came before us by weeding, Jay Wong, from the Japanese Community Youth Council, who washing, raking and beautifying the cemetery. A strong feeling of community flowed throughout the day and I’m thankful to have brought 30 volutneers, stated, “It was great to see the younger been a part of such a fun and meaningful event,” said Ryan Kimura, generation stepping up to take charge and lead such a well Director of Programs and Community Affairs. organized cemetery cleanup.” The JCCCNC would like to thank the following organizations for helping to make this event a success: Alpha Phi Omega of San Francisco State University, Berkeley Higashi Temple, Boy Scouts of America Troop 58, Buddhist Church of San Francisco, Eden Youth Group, Hawaii Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, Hawaii Music Live, Japanese American Citizens League, Japanese Benevolent Society of California, Japan Society of Northern California, Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, JBBP Rosa Parks, Nihonmachi Little Friends, Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC), Konko Church of San Francisco, San Francisco Drakes, San Francisco Japanese American Religious Federation (JARF) and Seiko Kai.