JACS PR 8/08

JACS Announces 2008 Grantees

The Japanese American Community Services of Southern California (JACS) announced their 2008 grant recipients a at a reception in Little Tokyo. Eight community-based organizations and artists, selected through a highly competitive application process, received a total of $22,275 to help build and sustain programs that support the Japanese American and Asian and Pacific Islander American communities in Southern California.

Each year, JACS provides financial support to a broad range of emerging groups and projects that focus on community service, health and human services, culture, and leadership development in the APIA communities in Southern California. Through the grants, JACS supports individuals and groups that can help empower the APIA community toward greater economic and political self-sufficiency and artistic expression.

This year’s grantees included the first-ever recipients of the Cecilia Nakamura Arts Fund, which launched in 2008. The fund was made possible due to an endowment to JACS from Cecilia Nakamura, a pioneer Japanese American dancer and supporter of the arts. The art fund was established in her name to specifically support the next generation of APIA artists, arts organizations and their work.

“JACS is honored to be able to support these exceptional organizations. We are also very excited to be able to offer funding through the new Cecilia Nakamura Arts Fund,” said Andrew Uchida, Co-President of JACS.

The 2008 JACS General Fund grant recipients are:

Japanese American Citizens League “Project: Community!” – A youth leadership program for high school students to help them better understand their cultural identity and the importance of preservation of the Japanese American community.

California Japanese American Community Leadership Council - Nikkei Community Internship - A summer internship program for Japanese American college students that provides community and leadership workshops and matches them with nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress – “Stand Up for Justice” teacher workshops – “Stand Up for Justice” is a short film and curriculum guide designed to educate teachers and students about the Japanese American internment experience. The organization provides these materials and workshops to teachers to help them better understand the WWII incarceration and the need to uphold the civil rights of all people in this country.

Japanese Community Pioneer Center – Computer and Online Communication for Senior Citizens Program – The program is designed to enhance the capabilities of low-income seniors and help them keep pace with current technology. It provides in-language assistance and training for seniors interested in learning more about computers, the Internet, word processing and digital photography.

Ties That Bind Nikkei Community Day – Nikkei Community Day is a one-day event designed to gather and involve the entire Japanese American community to celebrate its culture and heritage, and provide a forum to discuss the current state and future goals of the Nikkei community.

The Cecilia Nakamura Arts Fund recipients are:

Chinese American Museum – The museum will host a nine-month exhibition entitled Asian Roots, American Reality: Photographs by Corky Lee. The exhibit will open from November 14, 2008 to July 15, 2009, and will include over 70 pieces of work showcasing the diversity of the APIA community.

Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance – Sounds of Justice Community Drumming Project – This project hopes to combine traditional Korean and Aztec folk drumming to provide the multi-ethnic, low-income Koreatown residents with opportunities for arts, culture and leadership, and to build a culture of community and harmony across racial, linguistic and cultural lines.

Sharon Yamato - Gentle Giant: Michi Nishiura Weglyn - Sharon is a writer/producer and a consultant at the Japanese American National Museum. Gentle Giant is a part of a series of short documentary films on the forgotten or unsung heroines whose work initiated, shaped and propelled the redress movement.

For more information about JACS or to learn how to apply for funding, please visit www.jacsfund.org..