Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief

The Venice Japanese Community Center offers its deepest sympathy to the people of Japan as well as their friends and relatives in the United States and elsewhere who have been affected by the tragic and devastating earthquake and tsunami. Many of us personally know people or have relatives in Japan. If you would like to donate to the relief effort in Japan, please send your monetary donations to an organization such as the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles, the Japan America Society (JAS), or the U.S.-Japan Council. The Consulate General’s office will donate directly to the Japanese Red Cross Society. Please note that the Internal Revenue Service does not consider donations to the Consulate General tax-deductible. We encourage you to research any fund to which you donate money.

The Japanese Consul General in Los Angeles, Junichi Ihara, has posted a message and some links where donations can be made at: http://www.la.us.emb-japan.go.jp/e_web/2011jishin_cgmsg.htm.  He specifically provides links to the JAS and the U.S.-Japan Council.

As a reminder, at times of crises sometimes scams arise, so please be wary of organizations that may claim to send funds for relief but are not reliable organizations. Make your donations to well-known organizations that have credibility, not to an organization you do not recognize.

VJCC 88th Anniversary - Add to the Memories

By Alexa Giffen

As many of you may or may not know, next summer will be the 88th anniversary of the Venice Japanese Community Center. This is a very special moment in the Center’s history and we are working to preserve and collect more of it through oral history interviews and photographs. While efforts have been made to collect both photographs and memories from community members, we are looking to expand upon this. Over the past summer, I’ve had the pleasure of listening and talking to people who have helped build, supported, and grown up at the Center. They have all shared fond memories and stories ranging from Boy Scout trips to hanging out at the summer carnivals. Our goal is to continue to record more stories like these, and we need your help to do it.

Along with stories, we are also looking to collect photographs that have been taken at the Center over the years. Old or new, all are instrumental in helping us create a great visual history of the Center to match the memories that we have been gathering. At the moment we do have a collection of stories and photographs upon which we hope to build. This project is very important to all members of the Community Center and it is essential that we work together to make it the best it can be. If you are interested in volunteering any of your time to help out with this task through sharing stories, photos, or any other memories, your assistance will certainly be appreciated! Please contact me at alexakifumi@gmail.com or Sharon Kumagai at sakwhy@aol.com if you have any questions or information you would like to share.