Community Update & Forum
Sunday, July 10, 2011
1:30 p.m. 3:00 p.m.
Japanese Cultural and Community Center
of Northern California
1840 Sutter Street, San Francisco
(Issei Memorial Hall)
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Organized by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California
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Cards for Hope Gift Set
Thanks to your generous support, we have raised over
$4,021,759
for Japan
(as of 01/19/2012)
Kokoro = Heart
Learn where your money is going
The art were drawn by the survivors of the Great East Japan earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis. Proceeds from Holiday Cards for Hope will support children and youth programs in the Tohoku Region.
To order, call (415) 567-5505 or email info_jcccnc.org
Over 12,000 Donors * Over 25,000 Members * Over 100 Events Supporting the Fund
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About
The Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund was established by the JCCCNC to help the victims of the Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami which took place on March 11, 2011. Our relief campaign is a community based and volunteer driven effort. All the donations received -- 100 percent -- are going directly to citizen relief efforts that are actively on the ground.
Toward Recovery, Healing: Japanese Relief Workers
Visit Bay Area
On the week of Sept. 18, 12 employees and volunteers who are aiding various relief and reconstruction efforts in the earthquake and tsunami devastated regions of Japan came to the Bay Area to learn about community-based health care and mental health services and training.
3/11 Toll on Animals in Fukushima Described
Japanese veterinarian Dr. Shigeki Imamoto described the toll that the March 11 quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster left on the often overlooked and silent victims -- pets and livestock abandoned in the "no-go" exclusion zone in Fukushima Prefecture. Imamoto gave the Feb. 10 talk at the JCCCNC.
100% of all donations received* will go directly towards citizen to citizen relief efforts in the most affected areas and to those most in need.
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Thanks to your generous support,
we have raised over
NORTHERN JAPAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND
THE RELIEF FUND
The Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund was established by the JCCCNC to help the victims of the Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami which took place on March 11, 2011. Our relief campaign is a community based and volunteer driven effort. 100% of the donations received are going directly to citizen relief efforts that are actively on the ground providing support to the victims through the National YMCAs of Japan and other Non-Governmental Organizations that the JCCCNC has very long relationships with since the1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake centered in Kobe. The funds will focus on supporting the victims and those who need it most but are often forgotten, the elderly, children, the
physically and mentally challenged and the migrant communities.
At this time, the JCCCNC is only accepting monetary donations. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law and will be acknowledged.
The Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund is a three-fold plan over the next several
months:
OUR PAST RELIEF EFFORTS WITH THE KOBE EARTHQUAKE
In 1995, the JCCCNC raised over $600,000 towards citizen relief efforts for the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (Kobe) that killed over 6,000 people and left over 300,000 people homeless. Donations were used to help organize volunteer efforts to get food and water directly to the victims; fund citizen search efforts; provide clothing for those who lost their homes; purchase essential supplies for women, children, especially seniors; and we helped to feed and rebuild orphanages in Kobe. The JCCCNC has continued to bring youth from the San Francisco Bay Area to volunteer and donate to the orphanage every year since 1995.
HOW TO DONATE
There are many ways to donate to the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. Please view our "Support" page for more information on how to donate. All donations will be acknowledged.
ORGANIZATION, COMPANY and BENEFIT EVENT DONATIONS
If your organization or company would like to name the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief
Fund as a beneficiary or if you are interested in hosting and organizing an event to benefit
the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund please contact (415) 529-1322 or email
jcccncearthquakerelief_jcccnc.org .
KOKORO4JAPAN
In Japanese kokoro means heart.
J APANESE CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY CENTER OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) was established as a California 501(c)(3) public non-profit organization in 1973.
The JCCCNC currently serves 185,000 individuals of all ages and backgrounds annually. Our primary mission is to build a sense of community, by preserving our culture, heritage and history
through action.
The JCCCNC acts as a focal point for the Japanese American community and strives to meet the most pressing needs of the Japanese American community. We also conduct numerous goodwill exchange programs between the United States and Japan. In spring of 2009 the JCCCNC led a tour to Sendai, Japan.
Our Mission:
The JCCCNC strives to meet the evolving needs of the Japanese American community through offering programs, affordable services and facility usage. The goals are:
TOWARD RECOVERY, HEALING:
Japanese relief workers visit Bay Area for workshops
Article: Sept. 29, 2011 By TOMO HIRAI Nichi Bei Weekly
[To view original article click here]
On the week of Sept. 18, 12 employees and volunteers who are aiding various relief and reconstruction efforts in the earthquake and tsunami devastated regions of Japan came to the Bay Area to learn about community-based health care, mental health services and training, and enjoy a brief respite to recover from the stress of the past six months.
The delegation was led by Hiroshi Oe, general secretary of the Japan Overseas Christian Medical Cooperative Services (JOCS). It included members of the Japanese YMCA branches, educators, a nurse, nonprofit program coordinators and a pastor. Participants included people such as Tomoko Sagawa, a college student and volunteer for the Youth in Iwaki Project in Fukushima, and Shigeru Shimada, general secretary of the National Council of YMCAs of Japan.
Some of the participants had provided relief during previous disasters. Oe had worked for the YMCA of Kobe when the Great Hanshin Earthquake struck near Kobe in 1995. He had previously traveled to the U.S. for the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California's first mental health program for relief workers following the Hanshin earthquake.
Oe expressed his gratitude to JCCCNC Executive Director Paul Osaki and the organization for their long-standing relationship. Oe and Osaki have kept in touch since the Kobe earthquake. They started the Shinzen USA Nikkei Youth Goodwill Sports Program, a cultural and athletic exchange for youth through basketball, in 1997. Oe, who often travels to San Francisco, described the city as his second home during a dinner the JCCCNC held for the participants on Sept. 19.
Addressing Post-Traumatic Stress
The reasons for participating in the program varied according to the individual. Takako Kosaba, a registered nurse from the Tohoku University Hospital in Sendai, said her primary concern was for the rising rates of suicide among survivors.
"PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) will happen," said Sayaka Azuma, the program officer at the Kessenuma office of the Shanti Volunteer Association. She hoped to learn methods to help children afflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder.
While sharing Azumas focus on children, Yuriko Hisano, a coordinator for Kokkyo Naki Kodomotachi, was also worried about herself. "Can I keep going myself?" she asked. "I want to learn about caring for the self as well."
Two teachers, Yuichi Kato of the Sendai YMCA and Satoshi Matsuo of Morioka Shirayuri Gakuen High School in Iwate, stressed their desire to help their students.
Kato was on the 21st floor of a hotel for a graduation ceremony for his vocational school students on March 11. Despite fearing for his life while the building shook violently, he helped his students evacuate and return home after the initial shaking. He did not realize the extent of the damage when he first arrived at home.
Kato teaches 100 students between the ages of 18 and 20. Of his students, he said 15 of them lost a parent and/or home to the disaster. While the YMCA had opened evacuation centers and childrens day camps, Kato felt the staff was not yet ready to handle the survivors mental trauma.
"I want to help them experience their own feelings, to feel 'It's OK to be me,'" Kato said.
Yoshino Horikoshi, a program coordinator for the Association of Aid and Relief, said the opportunity to learn therapy methods in America was unique. "There aren't many chances to learn about things like somatic art therapy in Japan," she said. Somatic art therapy is a method for people suffering post-traumatic stress to express their feelings through the visual medium of art.
The Japanese often overlook the issue of mental trauma and PTSD. Oe, Osaki and others agreed that the trauma felt by survivors would be deep and that Japan is poorly equipped to help them because such services are uncommon. While the Kobe earthquake was devastating, Oe said the scale of the March 11 disaster was much greater.
Kobe affected a city and is smaller compared with the 500 square kilometers (approx. 193 square miles) that devastated the northeastern coast leaving 15,000 dead and 5,000 still missing, said Oe. Plus, the psychological impact of the tsunami and Fukushima further complicates the trauma people experienced.
Fukushima Prefecture continues to deal with an ongoing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which suffered a meltdown due to a failure of safety devices after the earthquake and tsunami.
According to Hisao Mitsunaga, secretariat of the delegation and executive director of the National Council of YMCAs of Japan, the scale of the disaster leaves relief workers no sense as to the phases of recovery. "When will phase one end? Where does emergency relief end? I feel the rest of the nation is feeling the same," Mitsunaga said.
The Rev. Itaru Takesako of the United Church of Christ in Japan felt that addressing mental health needs in providing post-disaster relief was important. As a pastor in Fukushima, he had met a survivor of the Kobe earthquake. The survivor told Takesako that the mental needs of survivors were poorly addressed following the 1995 earthquake.
As a pastor, Takesako worked to help former members of cults overcome identity crises. When cult members leave their cult, they must rebuild their sense of self, he said.
As with the cases of those whose lives he helped reconstruct, he felt disaster victims were left unsure what to believe in following March 11.
Relief, Recover and Rebuild
The participants' visit was paid for and administered by the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund (NJERF), a JCCCNC fundraising effort that is committed to providing relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts to the most devastated regions of Japan.
"It really felt it was our responsibility as Japanese Americans to do this," Osaki,e thanked the community at the reception held at the JCCCNC in San Francisco's Japantown for the relief workers.
The fund has thus far raised nearly $3.7 million; various groups and individuals are continuing to raise money. A total of $850,000 of that money has been allocated for mental health. The Roots Mental Health Project, which provides 600 meals every weekend to survivors as well as counseling and mental health services, received $100,000. The remaining funds are being used for various mental health projects the JCCCNC is organizing.
The 12 relief workers invited for training are funded by the Towards Recovery and Healing program, which is administered by the Northern Japan Earthquake and Relief Fund. Osaki said that other programs are a part of this fund as well, such as Project Aloha, which aims to help revive the Spa Hawaiian's Resort in the city of Iwaki, famous for the 2006 award-winning "Hula Girls" movie as a center for tourism, and Crayons for Japan, which will supply children's shelters and centers with art supplies to help children express their feelings through art.
"Ten years after 9/11, the responders are still dealing with PTSD," Osaki said. "Many are unable to work, even now."
At the beginning of the welcome dinner, Consul General of Japan in San Francisco Hiroshi Inomata urged the group to work hard during their training, but also to find time to refresh themselves. Once they return, they have much work to do, Inomata said.
The JCCCNC hosted the event, which invited NJERFs major donors and others who helped put together the fund. Dinner participants were invited to draw and write messages of hope on shikishi (autograph sign boards) to each of the relief workers.
A Bond is Formed
"After a week of training and workshops, the group felt empowered by the experience, and described it as having offered a unique sense of bonding. I had to study with so many people I never knew before," Kosaba said. "It built a very strong bond among us."
The relief workers learned therapy methodologies through workshops and fieldtrips to local community service groups to learn about the Bay Areas care of seniors, children and citizens who need help. Notably, they visited the Allen Baptist Church of Oakland to study their community service efforts and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
They finished their week with a tour of San Francisco's cultural and ethnic enclaves, and were invited to the JCCCNCs 25th anniversary dinner. The tour included a walkthrough of Japantown, Chinatown, the Mission District and the Castro District.
Michiko Nagai, chief director for Global and Local Community Services of the Kobe YMCA, said the trip was educational. As a survivor of the Kobe earthquake, she said she wanted to learn more about how she could help as an aid worker.
"In Japan, it is generally seen that people (with PTSD) are sick, but not so much in the U.S.," Nagai said. "As part of the YMCA we say, 'spirit, mind and body,' but there is still much to be done to address the needs of the spirit and mind."
As the workers return to Japan, they each said they hoped to take their skills to help not only the people they care for, but to share their experiences and skills with co-workers and fellow relief workers in Japan.
"I have a friend who is also a nurse; I want to teach and help them with the skills I learned as well," said Kosaba, whose thoughts were similar to many of the other workers.
To donate to the NJERF, call (415) 529-1322 or visit www.kokoro4japan.org. By the end of the year, the JCCCNC projects that it will have incurred more than $200,000 in costs to administer the relief fund. To donate to the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Operational Fund, call (415) 567-5505.
How are your donations helping?
Donations totaling $3,690,000 have been sent and allocated to the following organizations working to provide services and relief for the victims of the earthquake, tsunami and threat of nuclear radiation.
_____________________
-Recovery Phase I, which covered the period from mid-April to the beginning and the middle of May. The relief fund allocated a total of $760,000.
The Japan Organization of Christian Doctors and Nurses (JOCS) helped pull health care professionals from various developing countries and brought them to work in the affected areas. Our support helped fund their unexpected expense of calling back and relocating experienced relief doctors and nurses to work in the areas. KNK, also known as Kokkyo naki Kodomotachi or Children Without Borders , is working with children in the Iwate prefecture and helping them find buses to take them from shelters to new schools and supplying all the necessary physical supplies needed to stay in school.
The Shanti Volunteer Association is helping to work on immediate needs by providing daily counseling services and daily physical recovery services. The Morioka YMCA is in Iwate prefecture, an area that was hard hit by the quake and tsunami. Their funds will go to direct recovery relief. The Tochigi YMCA is in the prefecture next to Fukushima prefecture and it helped people affected by the nuclear disaster to relocate or by encouraging them to seek shelter in safer locations.
-Recovery Phase II, which began at the beginning of June. The relief fund allocated a total of $750,000 in this phase.
The Association for the Aid and Relief of Japan (AAR) is based out of Tokyo and its efforts will focus on Fukushima prefecture and working with people who have physical and mental challenges. The National YMCA is important in recovery efforts because they have access to work with all 32 YMCAs in Japan. The Kobe YMCA will play a major role in providing training, especially mental health training. The Sendai YMCA will go out to the affected towns to provide direct relief and will also provide recreational services for youth.
-Mental Health. The fund has allocated $850,000 in this phase because we realized that, after the 1995 Kobe earthquake, survivors suffered from post-traumatic stress and mental trauma.
The Roots Project Mental Health has been working in the Tohoku area without support and without financial help from the government. Volunteers have been helping since March to serve about 600 meals every weekend to the towns that were devastated. And mental health projects help cover future mental health needs.
In mid-September, the relief fund will pay to bring over 12 relief workers from Japan to San Francisco for mental health training. In early 2012, we will be organizing a mental health seminar in the Tohoku area that will be free for any relief workers, volunteers, organizations, doctors and nurses to attend.
-Rebuilding Phase. The fund has allocated $1 million or any additional funds we raise to recovery and rebuilding efforts that will occur in the next few months.
PRESS on the RELIEF FUND
HELPING NORTHERN JAPAN RECOVER: A community effort raises $3.5 million for disaster-hit regions
(7/21/2011)
NBC Bay Area Telethon Raises Over
$417,000 (3/21/11)
Earthquake Relief Fund Sends
$130,000 to Japan (3/17/11)
Friday March 18 NBC Bay Area
Telethon (3/17/11)
San Francisco Giants Announce Plans
to Assist Japan (3/16/11)
JCCCNC Creates Northern Japan
Earthquake Relief Fund (3/11/11)
UPDATES on the RELIEF FUND and EFFORTS in JAPAN
May 27, 2011 (Over $2.6M raised)
April 15 Update ($1.5M raised, Japan update, events)
March 28 Update ($1M raised, funds to affected areas)
March 17 Email Update (telethon, funds sent)
For Updated News Info About Japan,Visit Nichi Bei
One dollar, one act of humanity at a time, we are making a difference in the lives of so many...
We have all come together in support of the victims and survivors of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. From large public events, neighborhood garage sales, to parents and children just collecting what they can, we have united in this community based effort to support the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. In our own way, we are each making a difference.
Here are some of the ways you have responded:
By Jon Kawamoto
NJERF Communications Manager
It was a surreal scene of heartbreaking proportions being played out over and over in Fukushima Prefecture.
When the buses arrived to evacuate the nearly 80,000 people from the 20-kilometer (12-mile) "no-go" zone in Fukushima Prefecture, the residents were told by the government that they couldn't bring their pets. Many, who thought they'd be able to return in a few days or a week, left their pets behind at the bus stops.
Days, however, turned into weeks. And weeks turned into months. It's been nearly a year now. And many of the pets starved to death -- waiting for their owners at the site of the bus stops, Japanese veterinarian Dr. Shigeki Imamoto said.
Imamoto described the toll that the March 11 quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster left on the often overlooked and silent victims -- pets and livestock abandoned in the "no-go" exclusion zone in Fukushima Prefecture.
His Feb. 10 appearance at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California in San Francisco was sponsored by the JCCCNC and the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund to bring awareness of issues such as the plight of the Fukushima animals to the general public. Imamoto, on his first visit in the United States, made stops in New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Lexington, Ky. over the past two weeks, and paid for the airfares out of his own pocket.
Approximately two dozen people attended Imamoto's hourlong presentation, which was punctuated with graphic photos and videos of dead and dying dogs, cats, chickens, pigs, and cows.
"People have to think more about the importance of life," Imamoto said, with the help of translators Alice Kanno and Kenzo Tsukano. "Is it legitimate for humans to kill animals within the 20-kilometer zone?"
Imamoto is the owner and operator of the Shinjo Animal Hospital in Nara Prefecture, about six hours from Fukushima Prefecture. He decided to travel to Fukushima and see how the disaster affected the pets and animals.
When he visited the area on April 15, he was "very astonished" to find dairy cattle and beef cattle still alive and said the farmers were sneaking into the zone to feed their animals. Many claimed that the animals would not survive this long. He estimated that about 40 percent of the dairy cattle were still alive, fed by volunteers. When he returned two months later, they had all died of starvation.
On April 22, the Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) imposed a 20-kilometer (12-mile) "no-go" exclusion zone near the failed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and evacuated nearly 80,000 residents. Currently, animal rescue groups are banned from entering the zone.
He estimated there were 10,000 dogs and cats in the "no-go" zone before 3/11. Of that number, 2,600 were killed in the quake and tsunami; 300 were evacuated; and 2,000 were rescued by volunteers. That left about 5,000 behind, and of that number, he estimates that 80 percent of those pets have died.
Imamoto visited a farm with 2,000 pigs and the farmer told him: "If my pigs die, I will die, too." Veterinarians -- not Imamoto -- spent three days euthanizing the pigs (only livestock have been euthanized). Imamoto said he can't forget the sounds of the farmer crying out his lungs as he watched his pigs being put to death.
Horses in Fukushima received a far better fate. In May, most were rescued. Imamoto said the Japanese government decided against euthanizing the horses for three reasons: they could be used in public work like cultural events; they were never considered a food source; and public agencies could take responsibility for their care.
"What kind of animals should we allow to live? How can we draw the line between life and death?" he asked.
With a government permit, Imamoto has returned every month to Fukushima, chronicling his findings, visiting the farms and the animals, and making hygiene inspections.
He said that the subsequent discrimination against people from Fukushima over radiation concerns and the widespread fear of Fukushima beef, milk and produce has affected the livelihoods of many farmers. He noted that the beef prices are now down to one-third of what they were before 3/11.
"It doesnt sell if it's from Fukushima," Imamoto said.
"All of these people worked really hard but the future has been taken away from the people of Fukushima," he said. "If there is no future, what is there to do? That's why 100 people have committed suicide in Fukushima.
"It's not living in Fukushima thats dangerous," Imamoto said. "People discriminate against the people in Fukushima. That is what is killing the people of Fukushima. I want people to know that its this underlying aspect of how people treat each other that affects animals. We need to help and rebuild Japan."
He said that "in order to save the pets, you have to save the owners."
According to Imamoto, protests in Japan and from the United States about the Japanese government's handling of animals have been largely ineffective.
"The government never had the will to save the animals," he said. He pointed out that in the Japanese government, there is no official with a veterinary background. As a result, the plight of the Fukushima animals doesn't register with the Japanese government, according to Imamoto.
Despite all this, he isn't angry at the government for the current situation in Fukushima.
"No point in getting angry at the government," he said. "It's the citizens who will affect the change."
Currently, the harsh winter in Northern Japan and taking its toll on the remaining animals. He said there were no more dogs in the "no-go zone," some cats, cows and pigs and about 100 horses.
In closing, Imamoto asked the audience to help spread awareness about the animals in Fukushima. He said he personally wasn't accepting any donations. But he serves as chief medical advisor for the Japanese organization, Farm of Hope, which supports Fukushima farmers. Farm of Hope is accepting donations and can be reached at http://fukushima-farmsanctuary.blogzine.jp/.
In addition, the Hachiko Coalition, a U.S. organization which is fighting to save the animals in Fukushima, assisted in Dr. Imamoto's San Francisco appearance. The coalition is also accepting donations at http://www.facebook.com/hachiko.coalition.
Before Dr. Imamoto's presentation, Alma Cruz, vice president of the Hachiko Coalition, spoke about that group's efforts to rescue the animals in the Fukushima zone. The coalition, formed soon after the 3/11 disaster, works with rescue groups like the Hoshi family, which has risked arrest and fines to enter the "no-go" zone to take pets and animals out. She said the coalition is currently raising funds and turns over the donations for veterinary care of the animals in shelters.
"We have to be a voice for the animals," Cruz said.
Emily Mitra wants her restaurants -- DOSA on Fillmore and DOSA on Valencia -- to be known for more than their acclaimed South Indian cuisine and raves from reviewers and foodies.
She also wants her restaurants to be known for their integrity, which explains why she pushed to hold a month of fundraisers to help the survivors of the Great Eastern Japanese Earthquake.
"We have the responsibility to do something," she said, adding that as restaurant owners, she and her husband, Anjan Mitra, have the ability to raise revenue through their food to donate to causes such as the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund (NJERF).
Immediately after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, Mitra had a benefit in mind called Tuesdays for Tokyo. As a member of the Japan Center Garage Board of Directors, she mentioned the idea to fellow board member Richard Hashimoto, president of the Japantown Merchants Association. Hashimoto is a strong supporter of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC), which established NJERF.
"I was still researching who to donate to and Richard Hashimoto pitched NJERF," Mitra said. "He prepared a folder about the fund and told me that the funds would immediately help benefit the people of Japan, and he gave me an Excel spreadsheet of all the organizations that had donated."
She, in turn, did her own research of JCCCNC and came away impressed.
"I decided to be supportive since we're neighbors here in Japantown and it's important to partner up," she said. "I also wanted to have a connection of where the donations went to" and to explain to customers that they were helping a community organization, she said.
Tuesdays for Tokyo, held in April, drew crowds of up to 300 customers for dinner at both restaurants -- DOSA on Fillmore and DOSA on Valencia -- and raised a total of $5,000 for NJERF.
Mitra made sure her staff got into the spirit -- they all wore the Kokoro4Japan pins during those Tuesday evenings, and she and her staff promoted the event on Facebook and on the DOSA SF website.
Mitra said the vibe during Tuesdays for Tokyo was great -- "everyone was in great spirits." She said regular customers went out of their way to dine on those Tuesdays and said she saw a lot of familiar faces, including former and current staff employees at DOSA.
"Customers have a social interest," she said. "People love to eat and drink," and if the dining experience goes to a good cause like NJERF, they feel good about it, she said.
Greg Marutani, another supporter and former board member of JCCCNC, then introduced Mitra to attorney Dale Minami of the prominent Asian American law firm Minami Tamaki .
Marutani pitched Minami Tamaki's matching fund drive for Japan relief. And the Mitras -- with the match from Minami Tamaki -- raised another $10,000.
The law firm's fund, KokuaJapan.org , eventually raised $490,000.
Mitra said the DOSA restaurants reap the benefits from hosting the fundraisers because the events help raise their profile in the community and help build on their integrity that she considers so important. She pointed out another example of integrity -- DOSA on Fillmore's use of green practices and commitment to eco-friendly materials, appliances and processes.
"Any opportunity that you can send a message to people is important to us, even it costs more," Mitra said. "That's the type of business we want to be."
Both DOSA restaurants have received widespread acclaim and kudos from publications, foodies and bloggers alike for their primarily organic South Indian cuisine since the beginning.
DOSA on Valencia opened in December 2005 and Mitra remembers when she worked 17-hour days, every day, for the first year -- her husband quit his internet job six months after DOSA on Valencia opened and joined her in running the restaurant.
All of their hard work paid off when DOSA on Valencia was listed on the 2006 Top 10 New Bay Area Restaurants by San Francisco Chronicle food critic Michael Bauer. It has since been on the Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants list in the Chronicle every year since 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and this year.
Additional awards include: 2007-2011 the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand and Recommended; 2008-2011 Bay Area readers poll of the Best Indian Restaurant in the SF Bay Guardian; 2009 and 2011 Best Indian Restaurant in the SF Weekly readers poll; 2008 and 2010 Best Eats in San Francisco in the San Francisco Examiner; 2007-2009 Best Indian Restaurant and The Eat + Drink Awards in 7X7 Magazine; and 2007 and 2009 Best Indian Restaurant & Worth the Wait and readers poll winners in San Francisco Magazine.
The JCCCNC and NJERF are supporting Major League Baseball's program to revitalize baseball in the Tohoku region following the catastrophic March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.
The JCCCNC presented a check of $250,000 to Ishinomaki City to help rebuild the Ishinomaki City Baseball Field. The presentation was made Oct. 30 during the Project Aloha goodwill trip, led by Kristi Yamaguchi and Paul Osaki, Executive Director of the JCCCNC.
"We all know how important and popular baseball is in Japan," Osaki said. "That's why the JCCCNC and the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund (NJERF) decided to support rebuilding the field. We want to get the youth back on the baseball field, so they can move forward from the events of March 11."
Major League Baseball estimated that more than 100 youth baseball teams in the Tohoku region are still without adequate baseball uniforms and equipment. The MLB program is part of the "Tomodachi Initiative" set up by Japan and the United States to aid companies and individuals hit hard by the March 11 disaster. The fund is financed from private companies and organizations in Japan, the United States and beyond.
The Ishinomaki City Baseball Field project is being supported by the U.S. Embassy and organizations including MLB, which is providing $500,000; the U.S.-Japan Council, which is providing $250,000; and JCCCNC, which is providing $250,000.
After the March 11 disaster, the Ishinomaki City Baseball Field was used as a site for Japanese Self-Defense Forces, and their vehicles damaged the grass and caused sewage leaks. In addition, temporary shelters were built on part of the baseball field, so the city was unable to hold baseball practices and tournaments.
Osaki noted that damages by rescue and relief activities are ineligible to apply for federal government grants. However, with the support from the Tomodachi Initiative, Ishinomaki City Field will have an early recovery, he said.
Ishinomaki City park and recreation officials, who are responsible for the fields maintenance, plan to use artificial grass and clay around the pitchers mound and bases, so there will no longer be a need for regular field maintenance.
The field project anticipates construction to begin in February 2012 and to have construction completed by July 2012.
Dr. Shigeki Imamoto shows photos of dead livestock in Fukushima, left behind in the "no-go" exclusion zone. He gave a Feb. 10 talk at JCCCNC.
The Yahoo! Employee Foundation issued an emergency grant of $50,000 to the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund to address immediate needs after Japan was hit by the catastrophic earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster on March 11.
"When the earthquake and tsunami struck in Japan, Yahoo! employees immediately started asking how they could help," said Erin Baudo Felter, manager of the Yahoo! Employee Foundation.
"The Yahoo! Employee Foundation offers a way for employees to give to causes that matter most to them, so the YEF board quickly began researching different organizations we could support to aid in the relief efforts," she said. "Also, because Yahoo! has employees in Japan, there was an even more compelling reason for YEF to take action on behalf of all Yahoo! employees."
YEF found out about the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund through former YEF board member Alina Hua, according to Felter, and the board recommendations were gathered, discussed and put to a vote to determine which organization or organizations YEF would support.
What appealed to YEF about the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund was that it involved a staged response, with both immediate relief efforts and also longer-term rebuilding efforts, Felter said.
"We also thought it was important that the fund was supporting organizations that were already working in the area, rather than duplicating services," she said.
Based on the strong recommendation of NJERF, the YEF board decided to issue an emergency grant of $50,000 in May.
YEF usually issues funds to organizations that fall into three categories: Youth and Education; Community Building; and Families and Environment.
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