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Tokyo Service Center News - December 2011 |
| An Office With a Great View by Bill Watanabe |
As many of you know, all of the Japanese and Japanese Americans living on the West Coast during World War II were forcibly removed into incarceration centers - and the largest of these was called "Tule Lake" in Northern California near the Oregon border. Tule Lake center eventually came to be the place where the "undesirables" were held - as many as 17,000 were imprisoned there under harsh concentration camp conditions.
However, by December of 1945, Tule Lake Incarceration Center must have been a lonely place. World War II had ended in August, and most of the Japanese people who were held at Tule Lake Center had already been allowed to leave and try to begin their lives anew. My mother had renounced her American citizenship earlier that year as she and my father were planning to leave America and return to Japan (which made them "undesirables" in the eyes of the US government) but as it turned out, my younger brother was born in June of 1945 and then the war ended with Japan in total surrender and so they changed their minds and decided to stay. My father - a Japanese citizen at the time - was allowed to leave Tule Lake with my two older brothers and so they came south to LA in order to find some permanent housing for the family. But my mother had no nationality and was totally "undocumented" - she was not a Japanese citizen and she was no longer an American citizen - she was a "woman without a country". Without any citizenship papers, she was not allowed to leave and so she spent a very lonely winter with her two very young children (me and my new-born younger brother) as all her friends and family departed. I am sure there were no Christmas lights on the barracks, no Black Friday shopping sprees, and probably no Christmas tree with beautifully wrapped presents underneath. My mother was a strong person, and I suspect she got through the holidays because she kept her sights on what was really important and looked beyond the tinsel and trappings.
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I thought about my mother as I watched the TV news reporting on how crowded the malls were and how much money people were spending, and if there were any signs that the economy was improving, and I felt thankful that despite the recession, we still have it pretty good and there is much to be thankful for.
My best wishes and hopes for you all to have the happiest of holidays, no matter the circumstances. |
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| Did You Know |
You can purchase a holiday gift for a loved one and help LTSC at the same time!
Christmas Ornament ($5 each)
Decorate your tree with a hand-made ornament and support LTSC at the same time! Or, you can send one to a loved one and we will put your name on the back of the ornament to let them know it is a gift from you!
Email Gayle Yamada at gyamada@ltsc.org with:
1. name of person(s) to receive the ornament
2. recipient(s) address
Once we receive your payment (check or credit card), we will mail the ornament. |
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New Year's Card
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Would you like to wish a loved one, friend, or colleague a Happy New Year* while supporting LTSC at the same time? You can make a donation in honor of someone and we will mail a special handmade New Year's card with a message you have a made a donation in their name to LTSC and we will publish your special gift in our next LTSCene!
Email Gayle Yamada at gyamada@ltsc.org with:
1. name of person(s) you wish to receive the card
2. recipient(s) address
3. amount of donation you will be sending to LTSC
*According to the Lunar Calendar, 2012 is the year of the dragon. |
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| How Your Support Makes a Difference |
Kelvin Miller—LTSC’s CHAMPion
Kelvin Miller may look like any other UCLA freshman majoring in physics, but to LTSC he is a CHAMPion because he is a former CHAMP youth and a current CHAMP mentor.
In 1998 LTSC formed a partnership with UCLA students to provide tutoring and mentoring to youth living in LTSC’s housing communities. The partnership was named Casa Heiwa/Angelina Mentoring Program or CHAMP.
When Kelvin was 6 his family moved to LTSC’s Angelina Apartments in Echo Park. His mom found out about CHAMP held on Saturday mornings in the building and made Kelvin go. At first he was not excited to go but he started making friends and the UCLA student mentors tutored him and helped him overcome his shyness. When Kelvin was 8 years old he already knew he wanted to go to UCLA and the mentors in CHAMP encouraged this ambition. During his senior year of high school Kelvin applied to UCLA as his first choice and was accepted. |
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While on campus he saw the CHAMP mentors recruiting new student volunteers. Kelvin knew he had to join. So now, Kelvin volunteers every Saturday at Angelina Apartments. Most of the youth remember him and teen attendance has increased. Kelvin talks about college with the youth and helps them with the application process. Kelvin also organizes activities for the youth to make learning fun. Kelvin enjoys being a role model for the youth and hopes that the CHAMP program can be replicated in other affordable housing communities because it can change lives.
LTSC thanks Kelvin for his dedication and support of the youth in CHAMP. |
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| Asian Small Business Expo Recap |
API SBP hosted the 12th Annual Asian Small Business Expo on Saturday, 9/24/11. Business owners, entrepreneurs and sponsors gathered at The Wilshire Grand Hotel to network, attend one of-a-kind workshops and discover a wide array of business services and benefits available to them. As in previous years, Asian language and English workshops were held throughout the day to cover specialized business topics. API SBP hosted many popular workshops which included How to Prepare for Loans & Lines of Credit and Getting Contracts as a Minority Business workshop, with hundreds in attendance.
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| LTSC Receives Neighborhood Builder Award and $200,000 Grant from Bank of America |
LTSC has been named a winner of Bank of America’s 2011 Neighborhood Excellence Initiative and has been designated a Bank of America Neighborhood Builder. LTSC will receive a $200,000 unrestricted grant and extensive leadership training for senior executives and emerging leaders.
LTSC will use the unrestricted grant to continue developing affordable housing projects to meet the need in Los Angeles and to increase the capacity of its community economic development work.
Since creating the Neighborhood Excellence Initiative in 2004, Bank of America has provided more than $6.2 million to Los Angeles nonprofits. More information about the Neighborhood Excellence Initiative can be found at www.bankofamerica.com/nei. |
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Neighborhood Builder Awards are prestigious and competitive, with four selected each year in greater Los Angeles for making tremendous impacts locally. The other 2011 Neighborhood Builders in Los Angeles are Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica, Centro Latino for Literacy and Union Rescue Mission.
LTSC thanks Bank of America for naming us a Neighborhood Builder! |
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| November Donors – Thank You for Your Support! |
Syed & Toshie Ahmed
AT&T United Way Employee Giving
Jim & Elena Azama
Richard Churchill
Everett & Gladys Endow
Perla Eston
Dan & Kathleen Fujimoto
Donald Fujitani
Yosh Fukumoto
Jean Furutani
David & Toshiko Fusato
Arthur & Jennie Hasegawa
Emi Hashimoto
Yoshiko Hayashi
Dean Higashiyama
Fred & Irene Hoshiyama
IBM Employee Services Center
Sachi Imori
John Ineno
Joe Inouye
Lloyd Inui
Kaye Ishida
Yoko Itabashi
Seiji & Nell Itahara
Tiena Johnson-Hall
Noboru & Etsuko Kato
Suzy Katsuda
Raymond Kawamoto
Emiko Kawamura
Mark Kawauchi
D.K. Kazahaya
Lily Kazahaya
Barbara Kazama
Gilbert Kohatsu
Haru Kuromiya
Jesse & Nobuko Marcial
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Asao & Kimberley Masumiya
Fuji Matsuda
Kazuko Matsumoto
Hideo & Yuri Matsunaga
Tom Matsunaga
Judy Matsuzaki
Lorene Miller
Kyoko Motoyama
Masaharu Motoyama
Yoshiko Nakajima
Akira & Grace Nishizawa
Steven & Shirley Ogata
Hit Ohara
Janice Osumi
Gene & Kazuko Pinkerton
Bruce Saito
Bruce & Diane Shimano
Glenn & Millie Shimizu
Elaine & Stan Suda
Sachiko Takasaki
Yohko Takehara
Irene Takemori
Frank & Mable Takenaka
Stacey Tanaka
James & Lilian Tanaka
Edward & Karen Toguchi
Lois Toyama
Stacy Toyota
Gary Uyekawa
Ken Wada
Bill Watanabe
Craig & Gayle Wong
Gordon Yamamoto
Yoneo Yamamoto
Rieko Yoshikawa
Reiko Yoshinaga
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| Donate Your Old Car |
Thinking about donating your car to LTSC? Do it now and maximize your donation. Used car prices are up 30% from December 2008. (Click here to see the ABC news story about it) Higher prices mean a bigger donation to LTSC and a bigger tax deduction for you. Don’t delay donate today!
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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