The North American Association of Asian Professionals (“NAAAP”) – Vancouver Venture (www.naaap.bc.ca) hosted its first annual Spotlight on Leadership Celebration on October 25, 2007. The purpose of the event was to inspire and cultivate future leaders in the Asian community through idea-sharing, collaboration and mentorship.
Three “extraordinary unsung heroes who have influenced the way we think, feel and live as a community” were spotlighted. John Endo Greenaway was selected for the Arts and Culture category, along with Mr. Nick Noorani for the Business and Professional category and Professor Henry Yu for the Community Service category. The night started wonderfully with an inspiring speech from VDP Chief Constable Jim Chu as the keynote speaker.
John was honoured for his work, including in his capacity as the Managing Editor for The Bulletin, playing an invaluable role in preserving Japanese Canadian heritage. He did the Nikkei community proud by providing a reflective speech on how the different stages of his life impacted his career path and successes and providing practical and down-to-earth advice in response to the audience’s questions. He reflected on his past 14 years with The Bulletin, covering many unsung heroes in the JC community, and highlighted the new book Nikkei Fishermen on the BC Coast: Their Biographies and Photographs (Masako Fukawa, editor) that he designed.
Undoubtedly John’s words of wisdom motivated the audience, especially the younger aspiring members. Great going, John!
By Craig Natsuhara
