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Little
Tokyo Service Center News - June 2008
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| An Office With a Great View by Bill Watanabe |
| I recently saw a DVD called "Lars and the Real Girl" which has the strange story-line of a lonely and extremely shy young man named Lars who begins to introduce his family and friends to his "new girlfriend" who is in fact a mail-order full-size female embodied doll. Lars lives in a small town where everyone knows everyone, but even more importantly, they have a level of caring about one another as well. |
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At first, Lars' family had a hard time accepting what seemed to be a ridiculous and embarrassing situation, but because they love him, they decide to go along with his fantasy. Soon, everyone in town supports Lars and in a strange way, the doll becomes a part of their lives too.
It is a heart-warming story which I would recommend, and it is also a great reminder of the old saying that "it takes a village to raise a child." Many of you on our LTSCene Mailing list are a part of our mutual "village"; thank you for your caring and providing support for LTSC and for our programs and for the clients we serve. |
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| Not Without Hope: This Month's Client Story |
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Just in time before summer rolls in, Heiwa Park made its grand opening as a new outdoor space for the 275 residents of Casa Heiwa to relax, play, and – among other things - grow vegetables.
The 200 square foot yard consists of a concrete and grass play area and a garden. Already home to the fan artwork “Harmony,” Heiwa Park will continue to beautify the 100-unit Casa Heiwa building, the largest multi-family low-income housing development in Little Tokyo. |
More importantly this gives youth an area to themselves to play and participate in activities not suited for indoor spaces like building and shooting rockets into the sky.
“Not only can youth use it but we expect that the seniors will have someplace where they get together and hang out. They've always wanted a park and a place to get together,” says Tom Sogi, Director of Tenant Services at Casa Heiwa.
The completion of the project was a total group effort with LTSC CDC staff, youth, and parents led by Eddie Escamilla, Senior Maintenance Lead at Casa Heiwa. |
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| Chef Akira Honored at La Vida Sake |
Over 800 guests packed “La Vida Sake,” LTSC’s third annual sake and food tasting fundraiser and awards gala. The sold-out event blazed into the Petersen Automotive Museum’s “La Vida Lowrider” exhibit, an homage to the Los Angeles lowrider scene.
Guests enjoyed finely crafted Jizake from renowned sake breweries in Northern Japan generously provided by Mutual Trading Co. Guests also cruised over to some of L.A.’s top restaurants for samples of their tasty fare amidst the candy painted lowriders and other cars. |
Chef Akira honored with the
"Fu Re Ai" Award. |
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During the VIP reception, Chef Akira of Maison Akira was honored with the “Fu Re Ai” Award in recognition of his community involvement. He has dedicated a great deal of time and energy to LTSC and other community based organizations for over 12 years.
Thank you to everyone who attended and supported “La Vida Sake” making it another successful fundraising event! Come back next year for more sake, more food, and another fabulous venue! |
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| Did You Know? |
| LTSC now has videos posted on YouTube! Check out our page here. Help spread the word about LTSC by sharing videos with friends or even posting it on your blog or website. Our newest video is a tribute to Chef Akira Hirose who was honored at "La Vida Sake" for his continued involvement with LTSC. Become a subscriber to our YouTube channel and receive a notification when a new video is released. |
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| Caring for the Caregivers |
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On April 26, about 200 people attended LTSC's Japanese American Caregiver Conference held at the San Fernando Valley Japanese Community Center. Many of the attendees were facing eldercare issues for the first time. Keynote speaker Steve Barlam, co-founder of LivHome, a national agency that provides at-home senior services, said, "It's all about choice, and having control over your destiny. Taking the time prior to an eldercare crisis allows families to think about and discuss the situation and options with all involved." |
In downtown L.A. on June 7, LTSC is hosting a second conference for Korean-speaking caregivers of seniors. |
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| Extreme and Green Office Make-Over |
LTSC’s office carpet is showing its age. After ten years of wear and tear the time has come to replace it. However, the cost to do so is high. Thanks to Bentley Prince Street, a leading manufacturer of commercial carpet for corporate, healthcare, hospitality, institutional, residential and retail interiors, LTSC will have new carpet and at the same time help the environment. Bentley Prince Street turns surplus carpet into repurposed carpet that non-profits and other community groups can use in their facilities. This program keeps useable carpet out of our landfills and gives it to community groups like LTSC to improve their workspace.
LTSC received 850 square yards of carpet tile, which is valued at approximately $25,000-30,000. LTSC appreciates this donation especially as it plans to remodel its office space to accommodate its recent growth. LTSC’s staff and its many visitors and guests thank Bentley Prince Street for its generous donation.
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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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