A Tree, Planted by the Pioneers, is Flourishing Beautifully. |
By Kelvin Uyeda
The plaque displayed next |
Legacy Tree 2002 |
The VJCC Legacy Tree quietly flourishes on a wall in the gym foyer. The Tree was officially inaugurated at the Legacy Tree/Foyer Dedication Luau held on May 18, 2002. The Tree was the
Legacy Tree 2006 |
fruition of a great deal of planning and effort by a dedicated committee of volunteers led by Art Yoshida. The planning began sometime before the year 2000, and it was in fact initially suggested that it be called the “Millennium Tree.” This January, 2007 will mark the Tree’s 5th year of life. It currently has dedicated or pledged - 53 Bronze Leaves, 21 Gold Leaves, 20 Acorns, 5 Small Stones, and 1 Large Stone. This represents about $200,000 in donations made to the Center. The donations made to the Tree are earmarked for expansion plans- new buildings, facilities, or property purchases. |
There are many ways to contribute to the VJCC, including gifts of stocks and bonds, used car donations, and direct monetary gifts. A memorable way of making a contribution is through the Legacy Tree where you can purchase a Leaf, Acorn, or Stone which can be dedicated with an engraved inscription that will endure and flourish for generations to come.
Visions for the VJCC
By Kelvin Uyeda
Curtis Chang |
Our featured visionary for this month misses being able to come out to the Executive Council Meetings every 3rd Wednesday of each month. Prior to his recent employment with the Getty Center in the facilities maintenance department, Curtis Chang regularly represented the Aikido Club at the monthly meetings. Curtis enjoyed the opportunity to keep up on what was happening at the Center. He especially paid attention to the opportunities for the Aikido Club to help support the Community Center in various ways such as with Bingo, Clean-up Days, Festival preparations, and Golf Tournament sponsorships. He also enjoyed learning about the other clubs and classes that share the Community Center, and how the Aikido Club might help support them. |
Curtis feels that the Aikido Club has a very important practice of explaining to each new member that the club is a Community Center based organization. Each member is told "up front" that their participation with the Club requires volunteerism to the Community Center. This is a key factor in keeping the tuition much lower than market prices for typical monthly tuitions paid to outside private Aikido schools. Curtis feels that each club/class needs to emphasize to all their own members this sense of community instilled in the Aikido Club members. He looks forward to once again being able to attend the monthly Executive Council meetings. In the meantime when you visit the Getty Center, look for Curtis; he’ll be in the bowels of the building--down under in the maintenance tunnels.
