Welcome to The Venice Japanese Community Center

Greetings! I would like to welcome you to the website of the Venice Japanese Community Center (VJCC). For over eighty-five years, the VJCC has been serving residents living in the Venice area and proximal communities. The overarching goal of the Venice Japanese Community Center is to preserve and perpetuate the Japanese American heritage and culture. The VJCC achieves this goal through providing a venue for numerous classes, programs, and organizations that emphasize Japanese and Japanese American traditions.

Learn more about the Venice Japanese Community Center by exploring this website and its weblinks. Please contact us through the webmaster if you have any questions.

Enjoy!

Jack Kurihara

VJCC President

VJCC Summer Internship Opportunity

Requirements

A strong interest in the preservation of the Venice Japanese Community Center and/or the Venice Area Japanese American community.

Age 18 by the start of the program.

General Information

The Venice-Culver JACL is sponsoring this internship program through the Francis Kitagawa Leadership Development Fund.

The internship program features a flexible work schedule that can be scheduled between June 16, 2008 to September 19, 2008.

The Communication Committee and the Board of Directors for the Venice Japanese Community Center will coordinate the program.

A VJCC staff member, a Communication Committee Member, and a Venice-Culver JACL Director will supervise intern.

Interns will receive a $2,000 stipend for participating in the full program (approximately 200 hours).

Intern Assignment

The continuation of the historical research of the beginning and expansions of the VJCC.

Personal interviews with community members who can provide a specific knowledge of the VJCC's history.

The videotaping of selected community members for the production of an Oral History Video.

The writing of two front-page VJCC newsletter articles based on their personal experience with the project.

Includes attendance to an Executive Council Meeting, Board of Director's Meeting, Communication Committee Meeting, Venice-Culver JACL meeting, and the Francis Kitagawa Luncheon.

Application Process

Click here to download the VJCC Summer Intern Application.

Send the completed application to Office@vjcc.com or deliver to the VJCC office by mail or fax.

Application deadline - May 31, 2008

2008 Festival

Ondo Practice Schedule

All practices at 7-8:30PM

Thursday	June 5
Saturday	June 7
Thursday	June 12
Saturday	June 14
Thursday	June 19

2008

Miss Western Los Angeles Queen Contest

Qualifications

Must be between 19 & 25 years of age on August 16, 2008 (Nisei Week Coronation Ball)
Must be single (not divorced or separated)
Candidate must be 50 percent Japanese ancestry

Monica Takahashi Teuffel, 2007 Miss Western Los Angeles & 2007 Nisei Week Queen

Monica Takahashi Teuffel

2007 Miss Western Los Angeles

2007 Nisei Week Queen

Applications and/or information:

Delcene Kuwata	(310) 487-2754
Kazie Kame	(310) 822-6821
Jean Ushijima	(310) 390-6914

Sponsored by: Venice Japanese Community Center & West LA JACL & Auxiliary

Add to the Legacy of the VJCC

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Center.

Senior Exemption Age Limit Change

Earlier this year, the Board of Directors voted to change the senior exemption age from 75 to 80, at which time all seniors will attain the benefit of Keiro status. This means your membership dues exemption which was to start at 75 is now changed to 80 years of age. The change will be effective starting January 1, 2008. Those becoming 75 in 2007 will still be able to claim the exemption, provided you submit a written request and your application to the office and are approved. (Form letters are available in the office.) To qualify, you must have been a VJCC member for the previous five (5) consecutive years.

The change to make the Senior and Keiro status the same age will alleviate some of the confusion that has existed in the past. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Please note that the 2008 annual memberships are now due. The deadline for submission of the Membership Application with dues is January 31, 2008. Please refer to the notice on the front page for more information about membership dues.

To the Sei What? Generation:

What can you do for the newsletter?

The Communications Committee is looking for a group of high school, college or recent-post-college aged individuals to assist with printing a few pages of the newsletter every month. You will work with one of the current volunteers to set-up and keep watch over the high-speed printer, one weekend per month for approximately 4-5 hours. Earn service hours. Network. Contact: webmaster@vjcc.com

What can the newsletter do for you?

Let us know what YOU want to see in the newsletter. Give us your Vision. “Sei What?” will be YOUR voice.

If you are interested, contact the webmaster by email.