As summer kicks in and a new season begins, our PSW office will welcome a new wave of people for this summer and bid goodbye to some others. Christina Lay who joined the PSW office last fall, has successfully coordinated the Bridging Communities Program, and will be leaving the office in June. We thank her for her wonderful work with the program which brought together thirty Muslim and Japanese American high schools students together for five weekend sessions.
Project: Community! is one of the major youth programs for JACL PSW, and this year there are 15 applicants who are participating! Each student will have the opportunity to learn more about the Japanese American Community and more specifically Little Tokyo.
The first session was held on Tuesday June 23 at the JACCC and the program will continue on until August meeting every Tuesday night. During each session the participants will be learning through workshops, discussions, field trips into Little Tokyo and their final projects which will have a community art theme for this year. If you would like to know more about their projects, please come join our culmination event August 25 at the JACCC. More information will be available as the date draws near.
Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy Awarded for their Service by Asian Pacific Community Fund
Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy Awarded for their Service by APCF
LOS ANGELES - 150 philanthropists, community sponsors, and young civic leaders joined the Asian Pacific Community Fund (APCF) to celebrate its 1st Annual Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy Recognition Awards in Los Angeles. APCF presented $15,000 in grant awards focused on developing Asian Pacific Islander youth leaders in the community as well as the political arena. Through APCF programs, the FF Fraternity was able to set up their Donor Advised Fund a little over a year ago and continued to raise funds until they reached their goal of $10,000. This grant award was presented to the Los Angeles Chinatown Youth Council Program at the Chinatown Service Center. APCF also administered and coordinated the APCF Board of Directors & Friends Giving Circle, which presented its $5000 grant award to help fund the Japanese American Citizens League - Pacific Southwest District's Mobilize for Policy Program.
Day of Remembrance 2009 Video by the Japanese American National Museum
Support JACL by donating to the Asian Pacific Community Fund through Workplace Giving
Established in 1990, the Asian Pacific Community Fund is a network of community organizations focused on enhancing the lives of Asian Pacific Islanders (APIs) throughout Los Angeles County. APCF’s mission is to meet the diverse needs of APIs by building healthier communities, developing API leaders, creating a stronger API voice and providing the foundation for a brighter tomorrow.
For more information on APCF and its Affiliate Agencies, please visit www.apcf.org or contact Debra Fong at (213) 624-6400.
API Policy Summit in Sacramento
On May 26 and 27 participants from JACL PSW's own Mobilize for Policy Program were able to participate in the API Policy Summit. The event was held in the Convention Center of Sacramento and over a 2 day period the participants were able to learn from workshops on public policy ranging from Health and Immigration to Education and Workers Rights. Needless to say JACL's presence was strong at the Summit with 8 participants from our program, 3 staff members and 2 board members. Participants also had a chance to directly speak with members of the state assembly and senate about some of the upcoming legislation that affects API's in California. All in all the experience was a great start to getting more involved in the public policy process.
Little Tokyo UnBlogged
Check Out Little Tokyo's Blog Site
Community members set up this space where members of the Little Tokyo community could share information, thoughts, ideas, and opinions about the Little Tokyo neighborhood, it's people, politics, culture/history, businesses, and events. If you have something about the community you'd like to share with us, send us an email to
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.
This project is a part of Little Tokyo Unplugged, a community Wi-Fi network that contributes to the development of our neighborhood through wireless and other information technologies.
Since the 111th Congress has begun its session, Capitol Hill has been bustling with new bills. One of these topics that has been gathering momentum is immigration reform, especially on bills that already have been introduced such as the Reuniting Families Act, the DREAM Act, and the Immigration Oversight and Fairness Act. JACL National has joined the coalition "Reform Immigration for America," and the Pacific Southwest district will be collecting the support for immigration reform from our community, as well as align our policy work with many of the coalition's initiatives. Join our action alert to stay informed about the latest developments and events that you could take part in!
Annual Drawing Program
Win Cash!!!
Each year the Japanese American Citizens League Pacific Southwest district carries out an annual drawing program to raise funds for it’s annual programs.
The annual drawing solicits tickets for two months (June & July), then selects one winner to receive a large cash prize at the end of July. The size of the prize is dependent on the number of tickets sold.