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Little
Tokyo Service Center News - October 2010 |
| An Office With a Great View by Bill Watanabe |
A Core American Value
Young people can be a pretty screwy bunch, but sometimes they represent the very best in us. I recently saw a short documentary entitled "Leap of Faith" which tells the true story of a group of young Caucasian teenagers who risked some danger to themselves in order to help protect the Enmanji Buddhist Temple during WW2 in Sepastopol, California.
The Enmanji Temple, modeled after an ancient temple in Japan and built entirely in the Japanse style without nails, had been closed up after the Japanese American community was incarcerated into camps in early 1942. Vandals and religious bigots shot bullets into and even fire-bombed the wooden building causing some extensive damage. The youth group of a local Christian church decided they would maintain a vigil at night to help protect the building from further damage. They did this because they knew the Enmanji Temple was not only a religious center but an important community center for the Nikkei (persons of Japanese ancestry) community. These young folks had many Nikkei friends, and they knew this was the right but not easy thing to do.
The beautiful Enmanji Temple still stands today. I marvel at the courage of these young people who night after night stood vigil, not knowing what kind of craziness they might encounter. This is an example of the "very best in us" - to be loyal to our friends, and to take bold action for one of the great values that America really stands for - religious freedom and tolerance.
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| How Your Support Makes a Difference |
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Emi’s hope for a long happy marriage to her husband turned into one of domestic violence. Knowing she had to provide a healthy environment for her daughter, she finally decided to leave the tumultuous relationship and start a new life. |
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She found her way to Kosumosu, a multi-lingual transitional housing for victims of domestic violence. In addition to a physically and emotionally safe environment, Emi received job counseling, financial management, legal services, and counseling.
In order to become a healthy and providing mother to her child, Emi intensively worked at strengthening her spirit and life skills. She took classes and passed the licensed exam as a Certified Nursing Assistant.
Emi found a job and is concurrently studying to further her career. Moreover, she was able to find affordable housing close to her workplace upon graduating from Kosumosu. |
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| Did You Know? |
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Do you shop at Ralphs?
You must re-register each year! Please re-register today.
By shopping at Ralphs you can support LTSC’s youth. All you have to do is sign up. Click here to create an account. Then click on “Community Contribution Program” and choose Little Tokyo Service Center Community Development Corporation. A portion of your total purchases will benefit LTSC’s after-school program.
If you have any questions call Julie at LTSC 213-473-3027. |
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| Morgan Stanley Foundation supporting LTSC’s After-school Programs |
LTSC has two after-school programs, one during the week at Casa Heiwa and one on Saturday at Angelina Apartments. The two programs work together to provide the youth of these two buildings with quality programming that includes mentoring and tutoring. The Saturday program, CHAMPs, utilizes UCLA student volunteers as mentors for the youth. The college students lead by example showing the youth the benefits of attending college.
Morgan Stanley Foundation has awarded LTSC a grant to support our after-school programs. Morgan Stanley Foundation believes that a healthy start and a solid education are the fundamentals upon which future success is built. With this grant the after-school programs will be able to continue to provide a safe and fun environment for learning in our affordable housing communities. |
After-school bowling trip 2010
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LTSC wishes to thank Morgan Stanley Foundation and our Board of Governors member Stephen Suzuki for their support. |
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| September Donors – Thank You for Your Support! |
Varina Bleil
Li Cheung
Chisato Emmos
Marianne Hane
Samuel & Kay Higa
Katsumi Ige
Tsutomu Ige
Lloyd Inui
JAL Pak
JCI Gardens Residents
Roy Kaneshiro
Naomi Kariyama
Yukio Kawaratani
Peter Keramidas
Loreen Leong
Timothy McDonnell & Family
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Herbert Nakata
Kazuo Ota
Parker, Milliken, Clark, O'Hara, Samuelian
San Pedro Firm Building Residents
Arlene Tanaka
Frank & Mable Takenaka
Thomas Tsuha
June Yamaki
Sally Yamashita
Charles & Mabel (Tsuha) Yonamine
Please consider a donation. Your generosity will be acknowledged in next month's LTSCene.
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| Donate Your Old Car |
| Unwanted cars that are donated to LTSC bring critical funding to LTSC's services. We will pick up cars in almost any condition in LA and Orange Counties. Proceeds are tax deductible for the donor and can be significant even if the car is old or not running! The call takes less than 5 minutes and contributes to helping our many clients. Call (213) 473-1613 to donate. |
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| Ways to Help LTSC |
In making a donation to LTSC, you can:
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• Make a donation in memory of a loved one
• Make a donation in honor of someone’s birthday or graduation
• Make a stock donation
• Host a fundraiser to benefit LTSC |
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Donate Online, over the phone or via traditional mail.
Call (213) 473-1613 |
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