Happy New Year to our GVJCCA membership and the Nikkei community!
I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday season. Each year gets busier and busier, or so it appears anyway.
Our membership is invaluable to us as a community organization. Each annual membership, along with the funds from our advertisers, provides us with the means to support the day-to-day functions of the GVJCCA, providing programs and services, and publishing The Bulletin each month. We encourage our members to keep their membership up to date. With our economy in such rough shape, we realize that sometimes this may be difficult. Please check the mailing label on the back cover for the expiry date. Your membership provides The Bulletin as an invaluable source of information about the Japanese Canadian community.
Upcoming this month will be the Greater Vancouver JCCA Keiro-kai which will be held on Saturday January 9th from 12noon to about 3pm at Nikkei Place at 6688 Southoaks Crescent in Burnaby. We have another excellent program planned to honour the Nikkei seniors who have been part of our community for so many years. All those who are over 70 years of age, please register through Tonari Gumi (604.687.2172) soon as possible. Those of you who would like to volunteer, please contact Shag Ando at 604.922.9226.
The annual Nikkei Community New Year’s Party (Shinnen-kai) will be held at Nikkei Place on Saturday January 16th. Doors will open at 5:00pm, dinner at 6:00pm. Tickets ($45) are available through Nikkei Place. Please phone 604.777.7000 for additional information.
The GVJCCA will be holding its annual AGM on Saturday March 20th in the GVJCCA office from 2-4pm. We are always looking for individuals who are interested in helping the community in all areas of community development, social justice, human rights, and Nikkei relations. Please come and attend. If you would like more information please contact the GVJCCA office.
Next month, Vancouver will be on the worlds stage, welcoming all the world’s top winter athletes for the 21st Winter Olympic Games (February 12-28) and 10th Paralympic Winter Games (March 12-21). This will be a great opportunity for Vancouver to show the sights and the multiculturalism that is part of our daily lives here. I hope you will be able to take this opportunity to be participate in this as well.
Have a great month.
Ron Nishimura
President GVJCCA
