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Little
Tokyo Service Center News - July 2008
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| An Office With a Great View by Bill Watanabe |
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I recently had the privilege of meeting the Crown Prince of Japan, Prince Naruhito, who is the heir apparent to become Emperor of Japan. Meeting royalty is not something that happens to me everyday so it was pretty special, but what made it really special is the fact that Crown Prince Naruhito's family lineage of emperors goes back 16 centuries - the longest continuous dynasty still in existence!
America, by contrast, is quite young. July 4th marks the date of the declaration of independence from England, and the declaration of a new country towards self-rule. This great event happened 232 years ago by extraordinary people who struggled with great themes of what makes for good governance.
Little Tokyo is younger still, but it has a long 125-year history in Southern California. Today, Little Tokyo is undergoing tremendous change due to gentrification and demographic shifts. Some people question whether there will be a long-term future for Little Tokyo, at least as an ethnic neighborhood. Perhaps, with luck and with new development projects like the Little Tokyo gymnasium, and the proposed Nikkei Center project at First & Alameda Streets, Little Tokyo may also get through its second century. |
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| Not Without Hope: This Month's Client Story |
LTSC Helping Seniors Every Day in Many Ways
LTSC takes seniors on a cherry picking
field trip. |
LTSC’s senior services program provides many services to monolingual seniors living in Los Angeles. We provide case management, of course, but also social activities like the recent cherry picking field trip pictured here. The primary goal of these services is to help seniors stay active and involved to prevent isolation and to remain in their homes for as long as they choose. Sometimes, however, this is no longer a safe option and LTSC must step in.
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Our social workers recently assisted a 90-year old Japanese-speaking client living in Little Tokyo. She lived in her tiny apartment for over 25 years and was extremely reluctant to leave. All of her family had passed away and she was living on her own. The apartment manager was concerned about her safety and asked LTSC for help. When LTSC social workers assessed her situation it was clear that she was unable to take care of herself and needed to move to assisted living.
LTSC has experience helping seniors make this move and is able to provide culturally appropriate services during these difficult situations. LTSC was there to make the move as easy as possible for the client. Fortunately, this client is now stable and in a safe environment where her needs are seen to every day. |
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| Did You Know? |
| Little Tokyo has a blog! It's true!
You can find it here at: blog.littletokyounplugged.org
The authors of this community blog are a broad range of people living and working in Little Tokyo. Please bookmark the page and check it often. Also, please feel free to comment as much as you'd like, too! |
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| Mighty Warriors of Comedy Provides Mighty Help for Rec Center |
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The 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors, an Asian American Theatrical Comedy group that has been together since 1994 will be doing a screening of 'Mighty Warriors of Comedy' on July 17th. Their irreverent style of skit comedy ranges from slapstick to political and takes no prisoners. Join us at the newly renovated ImaginAsian Center on the site of the historic Linda Lea Theatre for a night of comedy for a good cause! A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Little Tokyo Recreation Center. |
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| Citi Community Scholar Intern Program Assists LTSC |
Citi Foundation supports LTSC’s work in the community in many ways. Most grants from the Citi Foundation are to support our Real Estate Development Department and our efforts to increase the number of affordable housing units in Los Angeles. Citi Foundation also supports the community with unique programs. One such program is the Citi Community Scholar Intern Program. This program provides funds to community-based non-profits to hire student interns and provides valuable human resources to non-profits that create meaningful employment opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in the field of community development.
| LTSC is a recipient of the 2008 Citi Community Scholar Intern Program. As a recipient, LTSC is able to hire student intern Junette Sheen, a graduate student at UCLA studying Urban Planning, for the summer. Junette will develop skills in affordable housing development as she assists our Real Estate Development staff in working with the Pilipino Workers' Center, to develop 48 units of affordable housing. In addition, she will work with LTSC’s Community Organizing staff to help low-income residents voice their concerns and needs through focus groups and community meetings. |
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LTSC thanks Junette and Citi Foundation for supporting the work LTSC is doing in the community. |
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| Ways to Help LTSC |
Get to know us at www.LTSC.org or contact us.
Donate online, over the phone or via traditional mail.
Donate your unwanted car. We pick up all vehicles & handle the paperwork.
Sakura Lee ~ slee@LTSC.org ~ (213) 473-1613
231 E. Third St. G-106 Los Angeles, CA 90013
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