PR-4/03

JACS Honors Outstanding Community Groups at Luncheon May 3rd

The Japanese American Community Services of Southern California, Inc. (JACS) Board of Trustees announces that they will be honoring their 2002-2003 grant recipients at a lunch-time gathering at Reikai’s Kitchen in Little Tokyo on Saturday, May 3 at noon.

“We did not give any grants in 2001, so we wanted to let the community know that JACS is back. We have reinvigorated our Board of Trustees, reinstituted our grants programs, and are planning for the future. This also gives us a chance to share the excellent projects that we are supporting,” stated Dean Matsubayashi, Vice President of JACS.

Grant recipients and invited guests include Cold Tofu, Little Tokyo Residents Association, Great Leap, and South Asian Network.

JACS awarded Cold Tofu funding to support production costs for their 20th anniversary show, which ran four weekends from October – November 2002. Cold Tofu is the premier Asian Pacific American comedy improvisation group in Los Angeles. Cold Tofu’s mission is to promote diverse images of Asian Pacific Americans through comedy and developing multi-ethnic talent through education and performances.

The second group which received funds is Little Tokyo Residents Association (LTRA), for the purchase of translation equipment to accommodate 25 non-English speakers with up to three language channels. Translation is provided by Community Organizers working for the Little Tokyo Service Center Community Development Corporation (LTSC CDC) and will be supplemented by volunteers. The LTRA was established in 2000 to give voice to the needs and concerns of 200 residents in Little Tokyo.

Great Leap was awarded funding for “To All Relations: Memories of Boyle Heights.” Engaging a diverse group of participants in the creation of a multi-disciplinary, site-specific work based on the stories, perceptions, and history of Boyle Heights, Great Leap presented 13 performances at the Japanese American National Museum in January–February 2003.

Finally, the South Asian Network received funding for their Anti-Discrimination Project to continue its efforts to raise awareness and organize within Los Angeles’ South Asian community with respect to post 9/11 hate crimes and discrimination. Formed in 1990, this grassroots organization addresses a broad array of health, legal and social issues affecting low-income persons of South Asian origin.

For over 40 years, JACS has provided funds to a broad range of community and social service groups serving the Nikkei and Asian Pacific American communities. Currently, JACS provides financial support to emerging groups and projects in the Greater Los Angeles area, with a focus on community service, health and human services, cultural arts and leadership development.

In the past several decades, JACS has supported dozens of organizations, including the Little Tokyo Peoples Rights Organization, Korean Youth Community Center, Asian Rehabilitation Services, East West Players, JACS/AI and Yellow Brotherhood.

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, and eventually became the Japanese American Community Services of Southern California, Inc. in 1961.

The Shonien home was sold and proceeds placed in a trust fund. Since then, JACS has provided funds to a broad range of community and social service groups serving the Nikkei and Asian Pacific American communities.

The event will be a “no-host” lunch, however lunches can be purchased from Reikai’s at the time of the event. TO RSVP, call (323) 223-6473 X 10, email jacsfund@yahoo.com or download a flyer from the website www.jacsfund.org.