2008 Shinnen Enkai and Keiro Kai Award Honorees |
By Gail Sharp
Councilman Bill Rosenthal and some of the Keiro recipients
Enkai is a centuries old tradition of celebration to energize the participants and strengthen the bonds between them through the sharing of food, drink and entertainment. On Sunday, January 20, we gathered at the Annual VJCC Shinnen Enkai and Keiro Kai to continue the tradition and to honor a few of the individuals who we are fortunate to call members. In addition to initiating 48 new Keiro, we also had the privilege of recognizing the contributions made by Dave Hirota, John Ikegami and Kuni Nishiya to the VJCC and the Nikkei community at large.
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John Ikegami is the 2007 VJCC Person of the Year for his contributions toward upholding the vision and mission of the Community Center. He has been a member of the VJCC for more than 20 years. In that time he served on the executive council as a representative of the Venice-SM Free Methodist Church, as Executive VP and, most recently, as President from 2004 through 2006. He also represented the VJCC on a Committee to honor Japanese American graduates who did not receive their high school diplomas due to WWII internment. In 2007, John became an advisor to the current President and was elected to the Board of Directors. He is always a helpful presence at Shinnen Enkai, Clean-up Days, Bingo Night, Festival, the Golf Tournament, the Planning Retreat, and other events at the Center. He further shares his energy and enthusiasm by serving on several committees including Finance and Organization Policies and Procedures. He is Chairman of the Master Planning Committee and has spent countless hours working on the Expansion Project to |
enlarge the facilities of the VJCC. This past month, John agreed to continue with his leadership commitment in the critical position of Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Dave Hirota is the recipient of the 2007 Venice Culver JACL George Inagaki Community Service Award because he “gives 150% of his time.” He has been an active member of the Venice Youth Council, Judo Club, Boy Scout Troop 764, Fishing Club, Golf Tournament Committee, Bingo Committee and VJCC Board of Directors. He is a person who, without being asked, takes charge of organizing Clean-up Days, Festival set-up, and the Festival and Shinnen Enkai raffle prizes. But, the following puts him over the 150% level. At last year’s Festival, rather than let a prime booth sit unused, Dave with his wife Joyce, children Jolyene and Robert, and their extended family shopped, set up, cooked and sold Chicken Katsu for the benefit of the Center*.
| Kuni Nishiya is a past recipient of the VJCC Lifetime Achievement Award and a Parent of the Year Award so it is no surprise that he is this year’s recipient of the 2008 Nikkei Spirit Award from the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California (JCCSC). His nomination for the award came as a result of his involvement in constructing Nebuta floats for the 2007 Nisei Week Parade in Little Tokyo. The floats were the first of their kind to be designed with steel and the first ever to be built in the Mainland USA. Kuni devoted himself to making the Nebuta event successful and one in which the entire Nikkei community felt proud. The presentation of the Nikkei Spirit Award took place on January 27 at Quiet Cañon in Montebello at the JCCSC Installation Luncheon. |  Kuni Nishiya |
The Venice Japanese Community Center is honored and grateful to count these awardees as members.
*Heartfelt sympathy is extended to Dave, Jolyene, Robert and the Hirota and Takeuchi families on the loss of Joyce, beloved wife, mother, daughter, and sister on January 28, 2008.
Senior Moments - What Do You Do When Your Loved One
Passes Away
Article from Nikkei Health Matters - Sharing Perspectives on Health and Aging – www.keiro.org
Dianne Kujubu Belli, Chief Administrative Officer, Keiro Senior HealthCare
Kanako Kusano, Director, The Institute for Healthy Aging at Keiro
You are shocked and devastated when your spouse, parent, grandparent, uncle or auntie, or friend passes away. You are sad and you grieve. You have notified friends and family and made funeral or memorial service arrangements. You gain much support from family, friends and your spiritual advisor. Now, what do you do about all those complicated financial and legal matters?
The California Bar Association offers the following steps in its publication, Seniors and the Law:
Also, you should notify the credit reporting agencies to put a death notice on account. This insures no one will be able to open up new credit in your uncle’s name.
Health and Elder Law Programs, (HELP), a California nonprofit, offers a check list on their website on “Things to Do When a Parent Dies.” http://www.help4srs.org/publications/pdf/Death_Checklist.pdf
In addition, it may be necessary for you to consult with an accountant and attorney to deal with the issue of your uncle’s estate.
Finally, to help you think ahead on issues you or your family may face, you can attend the VJCC Committee on Caregiving’s seminar, “Death is a Sure Thing: Are You Prepared? – Building a Document Box for Survivors.” This seminar will be held on Saturday, April 12, 2008, from 12:30 pm, at the VJCC. The special guest speaker will be Iku Kiriyama of the Japanese American Historical Society of Southern California. You will learn how to build a document file for the benefit of survivors. Iku will share her experiences of the difficulties she encountered after her husband, George, passed away. She will provide tips and suggestions that will later help surviving family members at a difficult time. Adult children are encouraged to attend. Light refreshments will be served. Please contact the VJCC Office to RSVP (office@vjcc.com or 310-822-8885).