Conference Room and RAP Lounge
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By Gail Sharp
If you have been to the Community Center within the past month, you may have noticed the newly completed 12 by 30 foot expansion amongst the classrooms in the back. This is the new RAP Lounge, a multi-purpose room that will serve a variety of functions for groups at the VJCC. The lounge was finished on December 27 after five months of hard work.
 New RAP Lounge |
The new RAP Lounge was built because of the need for a larger conference room. The conference room as it existed six months ago was too small for the activities of some groups. To solve this problem, it was decided that a wall would be removed, turning the original conference room and the old RAP Lounge into one larger room. However, this left some items that had previously been housed in the rooms without a place to call home. This brought about the construction of the new RAP Lounge. |
The construction of an expansion room would normally be a rather expensive undertaking, but thanks to the vast talents of various VJCC members, the project was reduced to a cost of only $6,000. All costs of the expansion were allotted for in the VJCC budget, so no fundraising was necessary.
A large group of people came together to make the construction of the RAP Lounge possible. Gary Uyeno, a licensed contractor, directed the entire project. Kuni Nishiya, an architect, designed the room. Electrical work was done by Jamie Inouye, and Norman Tatara was responsible for the doors. In addition, VJCC regulars, or as Mr. Jim Akioka fondly referred to them, “old amateurs,” came together to help with the tile flooring. Jim Akioka, John Ikegami, Eric Inouye, Alan Matsuzaki, Jim Nakagiri, Jun Oyama and Art Yoshida are some of the members who volunteered. Girl Scout Troop 532 was responsible for painting the interior of the room. Dry wall and stucco work was done by outside professionals.
Currently, the lounge is being used for arts and crafts, shigin practice, VYC meetings, and even as a dressing room during the most recent VJCC Shinnen Enkai. More uses will arise according to the growth of the Community Center. The RAP Lounge stands as a testament to the selflessness of our VJCC members. It can serve as an example of sacrifice and hard work to future generations of people at the Community Center. |
 Newly Extended Conference Room |
Visions for the VJCC
By Gail Sharp
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During the conference room expansion project, Gary Uyeno has been a steady presence in the construction zone. Since he got involved at the Center, besides serving as VJCC President from 1985-86, he has volunteered his general contracting skills and knowledge. Gary, a long-time member of the Kinyu-Kai shigin group that meets in the evening, was asked to suggest different types of classes that could be made available to interest active retirees like himself. He recalled that years ago someone at the Center suggested he teach a class on do-it-yourself home repair. Gary was still running his construction business so it didn’t come |
about. But considering the age of houses in our area and everyone’s desire to save a few dollars, he thinks members could benefit from a class teaching basic home repair.
Something that Gary has seen elsewhere, but not at the VJCC, are groups where people meet to play “Go.” If there are individuals at the Center who can teach games like Go, bridge, mahjong, and the like, learning and playing is a pleasant way to spend a morning or afternoon.