Not Alone Film Screening
Join us on March 8 for a film screening of Not Alone presented by the Children and Families Program of Little Tokyo Service Center.
The movie follows Makoto Akai, who after losing his wife and children in the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, is forced to live alone in a strange town. Not a single day passes that he doesn’t dwell on the loss of his family, which leads him to suicidal thoughts. That is until the day Akai meets a young woman traveling by bicycle.
Social isolation is a growing epidemic among not only older adults but those of all ages. This movie highlights the importance of human connection in our society.
To RSVP, please visit film screening Not Alone.
Terasaki Budokan with the Children’s Wall
The opportunity to honor your children or grandchildren at Terasaki Budokan is here! Have their name(s) inscribed on a tile on a wall that will be located on the terrace level of the building adjacent to the facility’s playground. Tiles are $250 each and please note that children must be 18 years of age and under at the time of purchase, with a limit of one name per tile.
For more info or to buy a tile visit our website.
LTSC Offers Free Tax Prep Services
Depending on income level, you or someone you know may be eligible for free tax preparation services through LTSC’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.
In-person assistance is available at the LTSC offices on Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. – noon and 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. To schedule an appointment please call 213-473-1637 or visit ltsc.youcanbook.me.
In addition to the Little Tokyo Service Center’s offices, you can also meet with volunteers at our Angelina Apartments (1336 W Angelina St, Los Angeles, CA 90026). Schedule an appointment for this location at, ltscangelina.youcanbook.me
CRFT by Maki opened to the public
On January 18, the brick and mortar location of CRFT by Maki opened to the public. LTSC works to assist small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs in Little Tokyo and throughout Los Angeles County. One such entrepreneur is Darin Maki, whose CRFT by Maki offers clothing, accessories and more inspired by his Japanese heritage.
“The neighborhood once boasted one of the most robust small business economies in Los Angeles, but through waves of displacement, it has shrunk significantly in size. This is a great win for the Little Tokyo small business community to welcome Japanese American entrepreneur Darin Maki to be a part of the small business legacy of one of three remaining historic Japantowns in the United States,” says Mariko Lochridge, LTSC Small Business Program counselor.
You can learn more about Darin in our upcoming Annual Report. And to see Darin’s designs and store hours visit: crftbymaki.com
Tales of Little Tokyo
On January 11, Dan Kwong presented the second iteration of his work Tales of Little Tokyo. Originally created in July 2018 as his culminating project for LTSC’s Artist in Residency, the presentation shows that LTSC’s continuing support of the arts and community has long-lasting effects.
A live theatrical reading Tales of Little Tokyo is a collection of interviews with people asked to describe their memories of the largest Japanese American community in the U.S. One subject was a community activist fighting to prevent gentrification; another was a blind woman who reminisced about growing up in the neighborhood while another recalled their favorite Little Tokyo restaurants of the 1950s.
Read and performed by Dan, along with actors Takayo Fischer and Hanna-Lee Sakakibara, these interviews came to life with the help of historical photos, family snapshots, and period music. Together they conveyed the rich history of Little Tokyo to create a portrait of a community and its impact throughout the generations.
Having family members who’ve worked at the Japanese American National Museum and the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, Dan was selected as an Artist in Resident in 2018 partly because of his deep ties to Little Tokyo. Artists were also chosen based on the strength of their artistic work and their demonstrated desire to work collaboratively within a community context. LTSC hopes to have more artist residencies in the future to find imaginative ways to empower the Little Tokyo community.
LTSC is hosting a free community CPR and First Aid class
LTSC is hosting a free community CPR and First Aid class for the first 50 people that sign up. There will be an English group and a separate Spanish group. It’s free and at our Angelina Apartment building on Saturday, March 14, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Those who attend will be certified through the American Heart Association and will receive an official card valid for two years.
Please sign up with Doris Acosta by calling (213) 481-0227.
Go For Broke National Education Center (GFBNEC)
LTSC would like to thank Citi Community Development, National Equity Fund
(NEF) and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) for supporting our Go For Broke Apartments project. Since 2012 Citi Community Development has been generously supporting and partnering with the LISC-NEF Bring them HOMES Veterans Initiative to create permanent supportive housing for veterans.
Together with its partner Go For Broke National Education Center, LTSC is building 74 units of affordable housing on the historic block of Little Tokyo next to the future Metro Regional Connector subway station. To provide a variety of supportive services the project will also have a community activity room, social service and counseling rooms, a veteran “Honor Wall” and office space for the Education Center.
The Go For Broke National Education Center’s mission is to raise awareness about the World War II American veterans of Japanese ancestry in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of American warfare. Go For Broke, a Hawaiian saying meaning “to wager everything” was the regiment’s motto. In 1999, the Go For Broke Monument, engraved with the names of more than 16,000 Japanese American men and women who served during the war, was dedicated on the site of this development.
LTSC thanks Citi Community Development for its support of our pursuit to build affordable housing opportunities around transit in Little Tokyo.
United States Census 2020
Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau undertakes a mammoth task: counting all the people residing in America. This count affects the allocation of funding for our community’s public resources (e.g., roads, hospitals, schools), how we plan for the future, and our voice in government. For the first time, in 2020, the census will accept responses online. You can respond to the census in less time than it takes to finish your morning coffee, but you’ll also still be able to respond by mail.
If you don’t complete the census, your identity and community are invisible to people who have the power to make significant decisions affecting your life. In 2010 an estimated 74,000 children were not counted in Los Angeles County. An inaccurate count affects funding for programs that serve young children.
Your 2020 census information is protected whether you complete the questionnaire online or by paper application. By law, your personal data cannot be used against you, and the U.S. Census Bureau has taken security measures to ensure the process is safe and secure every step of the way.
Check your mailboxes starting in March as the U.S. Census Bureau will start mailing out invitations asking households to respond to the new online census.
To learn more about what to expect, when you will receive additional materials in the mail and to see the census form, visit: 2020census.gov.
Thank you to all our supporters for your contributions last month!
Add your name to the list by making a DONATION today.
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