Venice Japanese Community Center

Inside the VJCC

www.vjcc.com

By Don Nishimoto

Did you know that the Venice Japanese Community Center has its own website on the World Wide Web? As a matter of fact, the Center’s website, www.vjcc.com, has been up and running since March of 2003. As the designer, developer and webmaster of the VJCC website, I’m proud and pleased to inform you of what the website offers so you can access it on a regular basis to keep abreast of what’s happening at the Center.

Recently the Center’s website underwent a complete overhaul and received a fresh new look. The website has information about the Center and its many organizations and clubs. It’s a good place to go to get information about upcoming events and regularly scheduled classes. You will also find current news and articles from the VJCC Community News as well as archives that go all the way back to when the website first started.

The website is comprised of 10 main pages:

VJCC Cultural Corner web page

Home – is the 1st page of the website
About Us – tells visitors about the Center, its history, its mission and its vision, and has links to information about the organizations and clubs at the Center
News – gives a brief summary of recent events presented in the form of the President’s Message as well as other noteworthy news
Membership – gives information about VJCC membership, a link to a membership application, and has links to information about the organizations and clubs at the Center
Organizations/Clubs – has links to information about the organizations and clubs at the Center
The Inside Story – links to front page articles from the VJCC Community News and has a link to an archive of past articles
Cultural Corner – links to “Cultural Corner” articles from the VJCC Community News and has a link to an archive of past articles
Calendar – has Dates to Remember and a calendar of regular events
Links – links to other sites outside of the VJCC that may be of interest to our members
Contact Us – has a link to our privacy statement and an email link to the webmaster

Since the Center’s website went live there have been hundreds of email inquiries received concerning activities at the Center, from Aikido to VYC. Email has been received from North and South America, Asia, Australia and Europe. That means the Center is known nearly World Wide!

So, the next time you’re surfing the Internet, stop by the Center’s website and take a look around. I think that you’ll like what you find.

Visions for the VJCC

By Michiko Yamamoto

There’s no place like home. Sharon Kumagai certainly agrees. While she now resides in the South Bay, Sharon regularly comes to the VJCC and remains an active member of the Pioneer Project, JACL and Executive Council. Current VJCC projects in which she is playing a pivotal leadership role are the March 18, “Music Man of Manzanar” program that she is coordinating, as well as the Senior Caregiver Conference on April 29.

Sharon grew up in the community and, with her family, has long-standing ties to the VJCC. Her father, Minoru, was a parent president of the Boy Scouts and her brother, Norman, was one

of the troop’s first Eagle Scouts. Sharon herself was one of the initial participants of the VYC, playing on the basketball and softball teams.

But, now that she’s an adult, why does Sharon so often make the commute to the VJCC to stay involved? One reason is that she visits her mom, Mae, who continues to live in the family home. Another is because she “always can see a friendly face...especially those [she} grew up with or met along the way.” Sharon is drawn to the Center because it is a “welcoming place where everyone is treated with warmth.” Yes, there’s no place like home!!