Inside the VJCC

2007 VJCC Planning Retreat

By Jack Kurihara

This year’s VJCC Planning Retreat was held on Saturday, November 10 at the Community Center. In total, nineteen VJCC members, including Board members and Cabinet officers, engaged in interactive dialogue during this half-day forum.

The purpose of the VJCC annual Planning Retreat is twofold: 1) assessing the organization’s performance relative to the previous year’s objectives or, in other words, a “report card” of where we are versus where we should be with respect to our planned objectives; and 2) identifying new short-term objectives for the next calendar year. The VJCC planning objectives cover a broad scope of topics, including, but not limited to, the areas of communication, finance, fundraising, membership, operations, and policies and procedures.

I am pleased to report to the VJCC membership that, in general, we accomplished many of our calendar year 2007 objectives as well as identified those unfulfilled objectives that need to remain a 2008 priority, and developed a short list of new goals.   Here is a brief summary of some of this year’s accomplishments:

• Policies and Procedures: Three policies were adopted in the areas of child protection, control of sensitive information, and Board member and Cabinet officer ethical guidelines, all of which are intended to better protect you and your family’s interests as a VJCC member.
• Facility: To improve night-time visibility and safety in the patio area, outdoor floodlamps were installed.  In addition, with the assistance of Troop 764 Boy Scouts, the women’s bathroom ceiling was repaired and re-painted.  Worn chairs and tables in Conference Room 9 were replaced with brand new furniture donated by generous and supportive members. The parking lot was re-striped, again with the assistance of the Boy Scouts. These functional and cosmetic facility improvements are intended to enhance safety and the attractiveness of the Community Center.
• Member-Informative Conferences: In conjunction with Keiro Senior HealthCare, two senior-oriented programs were sponsored that covered the topics of senior caregivers and long-term care insurance.
• Communication: The VJCC successfully recruited a summer intern whose charge was to collect, organize and archive the history of the Community Center, and especially identify and acknowledge those members who played a role in its growth and realization of its mission and vision.  This archival project is anticipated to be ongoing.

Certain 2007 objectives are still in process and are deemed significant to remain on our list of priorities for 2008:

• Simplify the tiered organizational structure of affiliated clubs and organizations
• Upgrade the gym’s incandescent lighting to more economical and brighter fluorescent fixtures
• Develop and implement a VJCC Emergency Evacuation Plan in case of a major natural or manmade disaster
• Enhance member leadership development and participation
• Formalize fundraising activities as we move closer to the realization of the building expansion project

In addition, the Planning Retreat attendees identified and discussed these new 2008 planning objectives:

• Events:
• Coordinate the 2008 Japanese American Memorial Services at the Santa Monica Woodlawn Cemetery
• Pursue the feasibility of co-sponsoring, with the Venice-Culver JACL,  a  “homecoming” event for Community Center members who have moved out of the area
• Facility:
• Assess the need for a new large screen and possibly projection system
• Fix and/or upgrade the stage lights

In summary, and as we enter the new calendar year, these planning objectives are intended to assist the Venice Japanese Community Center to fulfill its mission of perpetuating Japanese American culture and encourage your participation in the many activities held at the Center.

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Rising Early for River Ridge - 2007 VJCC Golf Tournament

By Norman Matsubara

After months of preparation, the VJCC 6th Annual Golf Tournament was finally held on October 27. That day, the volunteers arrived at River Ridge Golf Club before daybreak, working in the darkness to insure that all was ready for our participants. Our AV crew set up their equipment and mapped out their shots for the video. One by one the golfers began to assemble, checking in, picking up their tee package, entering into the side pots, and of course, purchasing the raffle tickets. This year’s raffle prizes were even more exciting than in past years. They included golf bags, jewelry, assorted gift certificates, a bicycle, and much much more. If you were a golfer, the prize most sought after was one of the two Scotty Cameron putters.

Proud of the UPS Banner: Tim Aceret & Ken Sogabe

Closest to pin: Rod Wakasa

Susie Ukestad

Sam Shimoguchi posing with the red-eyed golf o' lantern

Gentaro Saito, Hiroshi Kuwabara & Noriko Kuwabara

After lots of coffee, pastries, and maybe a few practice swings and putts, the golfers boarded their carts and were off to their designated hole, cheered on by our volunteers.   Although the weather never fully cooperated, the spirit of the golfers was not dampened.  The course was in great shape and provided challenges for all levels of golfers. The signature 18th hole, with its island green, surely intimidated all.

Cliff Asai & Charles Koyama		Patrick Guillen & Kristi Yoshikawa

The tournament itself proved to be very competitive.   Many of the golfers turned in great rounds -- here are some of this year’s winners:

Men’s A Flight – Steve Brown

Men’s B Flight – Tom Davall

Callaway Flight – Doug Cooke

Women’s Flight – Trisha Ariyasu

Closest to the Pin – Hannah Lee, Rod Wakasa, Jamie Shiraki, Cliff Asai, and Larry Buckley

Men’s Longest Drive – Justin Nakagiri

Women’s Longest Drive – Hae Yung Kim

Straightest Drive – Ron Fukuji

Skins – Tay Susie Ukkestad, Rob Horibe, Cliff Asai, and Gary Esguerra

The banquet provided a chance for everyone to relax and enjoy the company of their friends.  Stories of long drives, short putts and everything in-between could be heard throughout the room. The food was outstanding and the Halloween-themed video program was superbly entertaining. All in all, a good time was had by all. 

Our awsome volunteer ladies! Back row from left: Barbara Sato, Kay Shimizu, Mari Tamura, Sue Sogabe
& Linda Nobuyuki. Front row from left: Sharon Aratani, Lily Ikegami & Kazie Kame.

Once again, we would like to thank all of our sponsors, our volunteers, and all the participants for making this a successful event. We look forward to seeing everyone next year.

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Senior Moments - Dark Chocolate

By Dianne Kujubu Belli

With the holiday season approaching, which brings with it lots of goodies around the house, a question about the benefits of dark chocolate is of great interest.

There was a study published in the July 4, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association which concluded that small amounts of dark chocolate reduced blood pressure.  This study involved 44 adults aged 56 through 73 years (24 women and 20 men) and took place in Germany.

The group was divided into two:  one group ate dark chocolate and the other group ate white chocolate.  Each group ate 6.3 grams of chocolate each day for 18 weeks.  This amount is equivalent to about 1 ½ Hershey’s Kisses.

People in both study groups had been diagnosed with mild high blood pressure – on average, systolic blood pressure (the top number) of 147 and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) of 86. At the end of the study, those who ate dark chocolate had a drop in the top number of 3 points and a drop in the bottom number by almost two points, compared to no change in the blood pressure readings in the group eating white chocolate.

Doctors believe that it is the polyphenols (a type of antioxidant) in cocoa that causes this reduction in blood pressure but caution that weight gain from eating large amounts of dark chocolate would counteract any benefits to blood pressure.

Source Information: 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

 

Dark Chocolate Christmas Cookies
Source Information: A recipe by Stephanie Gallagher, 11/17/2006, accessed 11/29/2007

http://healthycooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/dark_chocolate_christmas_cookies

• 6 oz dark chocoate (preferably 60% or greater)
• 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup finely ground almonds

Melt dark chocolate in microwave at 30-second intervals on 70% power until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two large cookie sheets with nonstick spray. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Continue beating, adding in sugar and vanilla slowly, until mixture forms stiff peaks.

Gently fold in chocolate and almonds until fully incorporated. Drop teaspoons of batter onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving one inch between cookies.

Bake 10-12 minutes, switching racks (put bottom cookie sheet on top rack and top cookie sheet on bottom rack) halfway through baking to ensure even browning. Cookies are done when there is a light crust on the outside, but they are soft on the inside.

Makes 36 cookies.

Per cookie: 52 calories, 3 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein, 0% Vitamin A, 0% Vitamin C, 1% calcium, 2% iron

 

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