JACS PR 10/05

JACS Awards $5,000 to Local Community Groups in 2005

The Japanese American Community Services of Southern California, Inc. (JACS) announces that it awarded a total of $5,000 to fund three community projects. Grant recipients for 2005 include the Little Tokyo Recreation Center, Chinatown Service Center, and Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council (A3PCON).

JACS awarded the Little Tokyo Recreation Center funding towards the cost of laying the groundwork of a capital campaign to raise funds to build the Little Tokyo Recreation Center. This groundwork phase includes a feasibility study and the hiring of a full-time consultant. The Little Tokyo Recreation Center is a community coalition working to build a multi-purpose recreation center in Little Tokyo.

The Los Angeles Chinatown Youth Council was awarded funding to support the youth-led and youth-run organization dedicated to social change through action, including a stipend program for each participant. A project of the Chinatown Service Center, their mission is to offer education, health and human services to Asian and other immigrant communities, to enhance their ability to contribute to the social, economic and cultural fabric of the United States.

The third group receiving a grant was A3PCON, supporting their Advocacy Workshops project, which provides training by consultants in fundraising and immigration rights to its member organizations. A3PCON is a coalition of Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) health, human service, educational, cultural and policy agencies, and individuals who advocate for the rights and services of the APIA community in Southern California.

“The Board of Trustees is honored to support these worthwhile projects. We believe that they represent the best of JACS in our century of nurturing communities,” said Bryan Kumamoto, 2nd Vice President.

The origins of JACS can be traced back to Shonien, a Los Angeles-based children’s home and day nursery for Japanese immigrants in the early 1900s. After World War II and the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans, the Shonien redirected its focus to provide family and community social services. The Shonien home was sold and proceeds placed in a trust fund.

In 1961, the Shonien became the Japanese American Community Services of Southern California, Inc. Since then, JACS has provided funds to more than 40 community and social service groups serving the Nikkei and Asian Pacific American communities, including the Little Tokyo Peoples Rights Organization, Korean Youth Community Center, East West Players, JACS/AI and Yellow Brotherhood.

JACS recently announced that applications for 2006 will close March 31, 2006, with funding awards announced in June 2006. Applications and criteria can be obtained from the JACS website www.jacsfund.org.