 | ||||
|
May 2009 |
|
Sangha
President’s
Message Richard Kai The fifth month of the
year starts the transition from the hustle and bustle of running kids back
and forth from one, two and possibly three activities all in one day to a
more relaxed pace of the summer months. The current generation, referred
to as “helicopter” parents, are busy flying in, swooping up the kids from
school and taking them to basketball or soccer practice, then jumping back
in the pilot seat toward their next destination, and finally maneuvering
home to feed the youngsters and get them ready to hit the books. All in a
day’s work — with the help of mobile, automobile-driven grandparents. The
summer months of relaxation can be only a few days away and not come a
moment too soon. Dharma School will be
preparing for the coming of the end of the session by recognizing the
hard work and commitment of our teachers and teacher assistants. The
Betsuin Board of Trustees will start the festivities for our dedicated
Sunday school teachers and assistants by hosting the annual Teachers’
Appreciation Dinner on May 27. The final event of the school year will
be marked by the awards picnic scheduled for William Land Park on June
14 at 9:30 a.m. The Dharma School Board appreciates the kitchen crew for
preparing and assembling the picnic feast for our 300-plus guests On Sunday, May 17, we
will hold the Gotan-e service to recognize the birth of the Shinran
Shonin who was the founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, born more than 827
years ago in Kyoto, Japan. Gotan-e is one of the six major services of
Jodo Shinshu Buddhism and provides us with the opportunity to focus on
our gratitude for Shinran Shonin’s teachings. The last day of the
month is the most bittersweet. It will be a day for us to pay tribute to
Reverend Kaz Nakata and his family. The bitter before the sweet will be
seeing our young, upstart minister moving up the BCA ladder to his next
temple assignment. We have watched Reverend Kaz develop from the young
adult from Japan with limited English-speaking skills whose first days
on the job were to help with the duties associated with the annual
Bazaar. We grew accustomed to his humor and creativity from wearing a
T-Shirt at the Bazaar inscribed that he is the new minister, to the
introduction of his on-stage puppets and dancing the Buddha shuffle one
Sunday morning on the altar. We were all part — well maybe Frank Hirota
had more to do with it than us — of Reverend Kaz finding and marrying
his soul mate and starting a family with the birth of Kanon in March
2008. The sweet following
the bitter realizes the good ones eventually need to spread their wings
so others can prosper from the lessons learned over the last five years;
we witnessed Reverend Kaz’s development under the tutelage and nurturing
of Rinban Oshita. During this time, Reverend Kaz discovered his
instinctive ability to spread the teachings of the Dharma and is now
ready to gain the embrace of his yet-unknown Sangha members. The Board’s
Special Events Committee, in honor of and in conjunction with our young
aspiring minister, is busy planning for an end-of-the-month special
surprise scheduled for May 31 at 11:30 a.m. Please join the Board and
Reverend Kaz for this after-Dharma Service and class event. It will be a
memorable day not seen since the departure of Reverend Ken Fujimoto more
than 25 years ago. Rinban Bob Oshita
Hello and welcome to the month of May…. In 1993, a book was published
entitled Nokanfu nikki. It was written by a man named Shinmon
Aoki. Reverend Taira Sato, who was D.T. Suzuki’s last disciple, was so
moved by this book that he recommended that a dear friend of mine, who
lives in Kyoto, Wayne Yokoyama, consider translating it into English. In
2002, Wayne’s remarkable translation was published with the title
Coffinman: Journal of a Buddhist Mortician.
As unusual as this story line may seem at first glance, this book proved
to be so moving that in 2008, a movie was released in Japan based on
this book by Shinmon Aoki. The movie is called “Okuribito.” The English
title is “Departures.”
What was at first a somewhat obscure book became a movie that went on to
win 28 international awards for excellence, which included the Best Film
awards at the Montreal Film Festival and the Asian Film Festival. And
earlier this year, “Okuribito” won an Oscar at the Academy Awards for
Best Foreign Film of the Year.
This month, I understand they will be releasing “Okuribito” in this
county with subtitles. People often say that the books are better than
the movies. Not having seen the movie yet, I cannot say. But I have read
the book, and I can tell you that it is beautifully written and lovingly
translated.
I won’t give away the story line, but this book is the diary or journal
of a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist whose Dharma eyes awaken to life when he
finds himself looking deeply into our collective human nature and how we
respond to life and death. This is a book I recommend without
hesitation.
I have 22 copies left…but if there is a great interest to read the book
before the movie comes out on DVD, I promise to order more.
That’s my first ever book review. In a month or so, perhaps I’ll review
the movie. See you Sunday!
Koichi Mizushima Despite how difficult the world may seem right at
the moment, we must remind ourselves that we live in amazing times. Yes,
there are still problems with mankind, but we should focus on the
countless advances we have made in such a relatively short time. We have
cars that can parallel park themselves, GPS maps that can navigate us
across the country, touch screen computers that can keep us connected
around the globe, and medical technologies that have increased the
average life span by 10-15 years. For centuries we have lived on this earth without electricity, modern medicine and technology. It has only been within the last century that we have developed so many advances on an exponential level. If you told a knight of the Round Table that he could hold a small device in the palm of his hands that would allow him to talk to someone hundreds of miles away, he would call you a mad witch and banish you to the dungeon. And as much as we have gained with all this technology, there is also much we have lost. With the introduction of e-mail, texting and social networking websites, when was the last time you can remember writing a letter on a piece of paper to someone? There once was a time when selecting the right stationery and pen was the most challenging part of writing a message to someone. Now we can type a note anywhere in the world and press “send,” and it’s done! A handwritten letter showed time, patience and caring towards someone. A lot of effort goes into writing something carefully and thoughtfully on a page that doesn’t have spell check and a backspace button to correct any mistakes. But with postage rates increasing every year, if not multiple times in one year, it’s a sign that times are changing. This is due to the dramatic decrease in mail being sent the old fashioned way. Bottom line: people are not writing letters anymore; the mail is just for sending bills and business documents. Who would have ever thought the U.S. Postal Service could ever go broke? With the decline of handwritten notes and letters comes the birth of electronic mail. There are anywhere from 50-70 million blogs on the Internet, depending on who you ask. A blog, for those of you who don’t know, is a Web log. It’s basically a diary and collection of thoughts that you post on the Internet for anyone to read. It’s a phenomenon that is sweeping the world. The reason this fascinates me is that we have such a difficult time communicating with one another and expressing what we feel to those closest to us, but we have no trouble posting it on the World Wide Web for any stranger to read. Isn’t that interesting? A troubled teen will share all of his/her pain, frustration and anguish in a blog, but never tell his/her parents a single thing. This veil of anonymity that shields them allows them to share things with the world that they would never tell another soul in actual life. And once it’s in print on the Internet, it somehow has more credibility, doesn’t it? After all, if it’s in writing, it must be true, isn’t it? We go through our day-to-day lives with many things weighing on our hearts at times—many worries, many doubts, many concerns, many choices that must be made. But we hold them inside. We cover these worries with the day-to-day smiles and handshakes to show the world that everything is just perfect. Then we go home and share our most intimate thoughts and fears and dreams with this secret cyber world. Share with someone you care about what you feel or think—not just gossip or complaints, but something deep, revealing and meaningful. It is all the worry, fear and anger we hold within us that poisons our bodies. It is all the concerns we bear alone in our hearts that make us ill. All the technological advances in the world will not change this. Do not look for solutions when you share; the healing is in the sharing, not the responding. Perhaps if we all could just release more of what we feel a little bit at a time, then things would not get as out of hand as they do. If we could share with people at the first sign of trouble, and resolve it then, maybe it wouldn’t get as out of hand as it does. If we could share with just one friend or family member one of the things that we wrote in our diaries or blogs, then maybe we would be understood by this world a little better. The world doesn’t have to be such a lonely place.Greeters’ Program
From The Office
Thanks again to Billy Hatano and Ted Ito for helping
with our mail out.
Thank you to little Gracie and Andrew Matayoshi for
the “large” bag of candies for our office to share with all.
REMINDER: If you are planning to be out of town for any length of time,
please notify the office so that we do not mail the
Sangha to you. We have been
receiving at least six and seven copies of the
Sangha, etc. It would be
appreciated if you can let the office know, so we will not send them out
while you are away. We can hold it hear for you in the office. THANKS
FOR YOUR HELP! Church MaintenanceEd Imai
Over the last two months, the following members performed maintenance on
the Betsuin’s facilities. The Betsuin is sincerely appreciative to the
following members for volunteering their time and hard efforts:
-
Gary Traganza installed automatic towel dispensers in the main
restrooms with assistance from Bob Chavez. Replaced light bulbs in
Classroom 2 and the men’s restroom. Planed the edge of the door leading
into the annex. Repaired lock to outdoor chicken BBQ pit area. Planed
the edge of the door into Classroom 2 and realigned the latch so the
door would close.
-
Don Honda reinstalled kaikan stage curtain. (Note to parents:
Please keep your children from playing with the kaikan stage curtains.
Shortly, new curtains will be installed and when the children wrap
themselves up in the curtains, they tend to drop down.)
-
John Fujimoto got estimates and oversaw installation of new 75-gallon
water heater for Reiko’s kitchen and the custodian house. Special thanks
to Brian Onodera of Onodera Plumbing for installation of the heater and
vent. (Note: When using hot water in tempura sink and bazaar
vegetable washing area, do not keep hot water faucet on constant open as
this will drain the 75 gallon water heater.)
-
Frank Hirota oversaw contractor that powerwashed the tempura
cooking vent and chicken BBQ pit vents. Special recognition to Roy
Imura, Gene Itogawa, Dick Nakamura, Bobby Nishimoto, Aki Seo, Ernie
Tanaka, Yosh Watari, John Yoshikawa and Frank Hirota for removing all
the stuff out of these cooking areas prior to the powerwashing.
-
Gordon Nitta repaired cooking grill leg.
-
Don Honda repaired kaikan walls damaged from the new chair
dollies hitting the wall. Installed rubber pads on the corners of the
new chair dollys to prevent future damage.
-
DeAnne Eng, Greg Kochi, Kelvin Mark and Stacey Okino brought
their 13 Den 5 Cub Scouts on a scrubbing mission of cleaning the main
church north/south hallway in preparation for repainting. Kundalini Yoga Sponsored by ABA
Reduce stress, increase
ability to relax and quiet the mind.
Learn powerful, effective
breath techniques (pranayama).
Learn mantras, mudras,
meditations.
Increase flexibility and
state of well-being.
Appropriate for beginning
and continuing students of all ages.
Supportive of any health
challenge. ABA is sponsoring an ongoing series of Kundalini Yoga classes, held from 10-11 a.m. at the kaikan. Although a new series began Wednesday, March 25, you may drop in at any time. This series runs through May 27. The cost is $5 per class on a drop-in basis. There is a discounted rate ($4 per class) when the series is paid in advance. Just show up and register prior to the beginning of class. Jim Deneff was certified to teach Kundalini yoga by Dr. Siri Gian Singh Khalsa in 1998 and has been teaching for 11 years. He currently instructs Kundalini at the Sacramento Yoga Center and at the Sacramento City Parks and Recreation Department. He has taught yoga for ABA for over a year. Bring a small, firm cushion for sitting, and a mat or thick blanket; also a warm blanket for covering yourself during rest periods. Wear loose, comfortable clothing and bring a bottle of water. It is advisable to eat only very lightly, prior to class. For more information about Kundalini Yoga, please visit www.PriyaYoga.org or call Jim at (916) 806-0623. You may also contact: Buddhist Church office: Meri or Tak: (916) 446-0121 ABA, Sharon Yoshimura: (916) 421-4740/601-3000 Ruth Seo
It’s time for spring cleaning. Make space in your
closets, cupboards and garage by cleaning out those things that you no
longer need or use by donating them to the Legacy Endowment Fund Benefit
Rummage Sale. Your usable recyclables will be sold to raise funds to
help Betsuin projects and provide great items at bargain prices for
customers while keeping more items from going into the landfills.
The LEF Benefit Rummage Sale takes place on June 13
at the Buddhist Church kaikan. Your donations will be accepted at the
kaikan from Wednesday, June 10 through Friday, June 12 from 9 a.m. to 8
p.m.
The Rummage Sale will run from 8-4 p.m. on June 13, so
invite all your friends, neighbors and relatives to attend and shop.
After clearing out space, you will have plenty of room to purchase
replacements.
Most items in usable, good condition will be gratefully
accepted. Examples:
Clothing and shoes in all sizes for men, women and
children; accessories or jewelry, handbags, purses, knickknacks; small
working electrical appliances, such as lamps, toasters, DVD players,
clocks, irons, mixers, sewing machines, vacuums, coffee makers, power
tools; kitchenware, such as pots, pans, dishes, glasses, silverware,
china, cooking utensils; bicycles, camping gear, sports equipment,
musical instruments, toys, games, books, bedding, towels, linens,
pictures and frames.
The following items cannot be accepted: tires,
mattresses, televisions, large appliances, hazardous materials.
The Legacy Endowment Fund was established to create a
means for funding projects that promote and sustain the Sacramento
Betsuin and the propagation of Jodo Shinshu teaching. Educational
programs, scholarships, major improvements and the maintenance of the
temple shrine are specific projects for which the fund is intended. To
date, the Endowment Fund has supported the ministers’ assistants in
achieving Kyoshi certification; the publication of the Metta/Padma
Class Supplemental Booklet authored by Courtney Kashiwagi; and
sponsored several educational workshops on charitable giving, financial
advice and preventing identity theft.
Kaneko Family
In Memory of Sam Kaneko
Meriko Ishigaki
Harry & Mutsuko Noguchi
In Memory of Kiichi & Tane Kawahira
Al & Hiroko Shimizu
Tetsuo & Yoshiko Pat Okamoto In Memory of
Sanjiro Yamaguchi
Eleanor Nobuye
Tetsuo & Yoshiko Pat Okamoto In Memory of Tetsu Iida Alan Wu
Even though this year the April showers were far and few
between, we still got our full bloom of May flowers, and as valley
dwellers, we all can relate to the dreaded annual coming of the Hay
Fever Season. If you are lucky and fortunate enough not to be plagued by
hay fever, then consider yourself one of the chosen few! For the rest of
us, make sure to take your C******n or A*****t (allergy medicines) and
remember to bring along plenty of K*****x (facial tissue). (Currently we
have no product placement advertisement contracts on file, so the actual
brand names have been edited for your protection.)
To officially put an unofficial end to our basketball
season, we held our Coaches Appreciation Dinner on March 22 at SASF. At
the dinner, not only did we enjoy the fine food from L*L (Hawaiian
restaurant), but we also paid tribute to our excellent staff of coaches.
We know that coaching takes a lot of time and energy, and this event is
when we show our gratitude and appreciation to all our coaches. We also
presented our Rinban Yukawa Award to the coach who has demonstrated the
values and leadership qualities of our sports program over the years,
and this year’s recipient is Will Wong. Congratulations, Will — hope to
see you back next year for your ?14th? year!
We also announced the winners of the Aki Fukushima
Awards. These awards go to the boy and girl who best exemplified Aki’s
characteristics and qualities in and around the church, off and on the
court. This year the award recipients are: Jenny Kushida and Nick
Wasson. Congratulations to Jenny and Nick, and good luck to you both as
you graduate from our program and go out into the real world!
This year we would also like to thank Brandon Yung for
being our guest speaker at the dinner. Brandon played many years of
basketball and is currently the head coach for the John F. Kennedy Lady
Cougars, and for the second straight year led the Cougars to the CIF
Section Championship and also finished 2nd in the Norcal Championship.
Special thanks go out to Glen Kumamoto for his most
excellent slideshow presentation. Glen was under the gun while putting
it together due to being away on business, but did a spectacular job;
Thanks, Glen. Glen, this is two months in a row that you made
Sangha news; could you be in line for some higher loftier
position in this organization? Hmmm, could it be true?
The Coaches Dinner signifies the end of the season;
however; there is one more tournament that many of our teams enjoy
playing, and that one is the Central Cal Tournament on Father’s Day
weekend in Fresno, so good luck to our teams that are participating, and
for those that are really done for the year, please turn in your
uniforms.
This year we have 11 high school seniors who will be
graduating in June, and we would like to thank them for their
participation in our program throughout the many years and congratulate
them too as they embark on their next journey in life. Congratulations
to: Bryce Yee, Denise Murata, Jared Honda, Jenn Tanaka, Jenny Kushida,
Kevin Morita, Landon Hamamura, Lauren Otani, Nick Wasson, Rachel Uda and
Sara Matsuura. Remember to always keep your link bright and strong!
Let’s take a look back at how our teams fared at our
tournament: B Boys Silver Division Champions:
Bryce Yee and Landon Hamamura win Sportsmanship. B Girls 2nd Place:
Betsuin Flying Cats with the Sportsmanship Award going to
Teryn Hara.
C Boys Gold 3rd Place: Team C-2
4thPlace: Team C-3
Bronze
3rd Place: Bamas
C Girls Gold
4th Place: Dynamic Dharma Girls
Silver 7th Place:
2K14
D Boys Bronze
2nd Place: Team Rampage
D Girls Silver
Championship: Illusion
E Boys:
Nothin But Net (2 wins - 1 loss)
Eagles (1
win - 2 losses)
Dragons (2 wins - 1
loss)
E-Force (2 wins – 1
loss)
E Girls:
Mighty Monkeys (3 wins)
Fireballs (2 wins, 1 loss)
Vipers (2 wins, 1
loss)
Super Shooting Dragons (2 wins, 1 loss)
Now that the basketball season is virtually over, Dharma
School attendance is still being recorded until the end of the Dharma
School year, which is on June 14, so please, do yourself a favor and
continue to attend Dharma school until the end, so you will not have to
worry about it next September, because attendance now still counts for
the next year.
And, now that the basketball season is virtually over, we
are looking to start a bowling league…yes a bowling league! We thought
it would be good to get away from basketball for a spell and do
something different. Think of it as cross-training. So, we are seeking
out everyone, kids and adults, to participate in a mini bowling league.
There will be sign-up sheets in the hallway near the office and in the
office for you to sign up as having an interest in bowling. Since this
is our first go at it, we do not know what kind of response we will get,
so these sign-ups are to let us know how much interest there is in our
sangha. Once we figure out if we have enough people to go further, you
will be notified of more details. It’s just another fun thing to do, so
tell your friends and family about the SBC Bowling League.
It looks like it is once again time to go out and sit
under the Bodhi Tree and listen to Doris Day sing: Que Sera Sera…
Dear Bodhi Tree,
I have played basketball all my life and now I enjoy
watching my kids play and I also follow the high school teams in our
area and I was very excited to see the Kennedy girls team go deep into
the CIF playoffs. It appeared that they might have gone all the way
except that their point guard got injured in the semi-final game; that
was too bad. But anyway, I heard a story about a boys team from Oakland
beat a team from Danville to represent Northern California in the State
Championship, and the team from Danville took up a collection so that
the Oakland team could afford to spend the night. I was extremely
impressed when I heard about this story. Do you have any information
about this?
Signed: Extremely Impressed
Dear Extremely Impressed,
As a matter of fact, here is the news article that was
published by the San Jose Mercury News:
McClymonds, Monte Vista team up for great story
By John Ryan
Mercury News
If Oakland's McClymonds High wins the state championship
this weekend, it’s going to be partly because of a great night’s sleep
and the kindness of strangers.
Last week, McClymonds beat Danville’s Monte Vista High
46-43 in the Division I final in Sacramento. For the return trip to play
Los Angeles’ Westchester on Saturday night for the state championship,
Coach Brandon Brooks wanted his players to have the overnight trip that
all other schools more than 150 miles away get from the California
Interscholastic Federation. But McClymonds is only 85 miles away. And
Brooks didn’t have the money, either personally or in the cash-strapped
school’s budget.
He discussed it with the Oakland Tribune. A parent
of a Monte Vista player saw the resulting article and started a
fundraising drive among the boys’ and girls’ teams. The parent who
started the effort insisted on remaining anonymous, but Coach Bill
Powers called Brooks with the final pledge: $1,100, enough to cover the
hotel stay and meals for all the players.
“That’s amazing, that the team you beat in NorCal, their
parents want to help with your cause,” Brooks said. “That's unheard of.”
Yes, this is an amazing story, and the Oakland coach said
it succinctly: “That’s unheard of.” The only thing that would have
really make this story even better would have been if McClymonds won the
state championship; however, they did not, but it is certain that their
trip to the State Finals at ARCO Arena will be one they will never
forget, partly due to the kindness and generosity of people who had the
right view of high school athletics. Should this article have been
titled: Episode IV: A New Hope?
Don’t forget, contact the Bodhi Tree at:
sbcbodhitree@yahoo.com
Signed: Bodhi T.
Important Dates to Remember:
May 10
Mother’s Day
May 25
Memorial Day June 14 Last Dharma School day and picnic
June 20-21 – Central Cal Cobra Tournament in Fresno
June 21
Father’s Day
Fried Rice
Breakfast ‘To Go’
May 17, 2009
8 am – 12 pm
Pre-Sale Tickets:
$7.00
Pick up at the Sacramento Buddhist Church
Proceeds Benefit the Matsuyama Boy Scout Exchange Program
Tickets on sale now from participating scouts from
Troop 50 and Troop 250 Justin Yee
During the
months of March and April, Boy Scout Troop 50 was very busy with various
activities.
On March 15
at the Buddhist Church’s annual Spring Food Festival, the Boy Scouts
were busy boxing chicken and bussing tables. There were two shifts that
the Boy Scouts were assigned to work. The first shift was led by senior
scout Tyler S., which was from 5:30 a.m. until 9 a.m. The second shift
was led by senior scout Jeremy Wong, which was from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Even though the Boy Scouts were busy, they had fun working their shifts.
The Boy
Scouts also had their regular troop meetings, award ceremony and other
special events. The troop took part in their yearly Scouts Night in
which they set up booths with different activities to entice the Cub
Scouts to join their troop after graduating from Cub Scouts.
On April 3,
the Boy Scouts had their award ceremony called Court of Honor in which
many merit badges and advancement pins were handed out.
On April 4,
the senior Scouts went on an outing to the Elk Grove Police Station. The
senior Scouts were able to meet real members of a SWAT team and learned
about how much training is needed to make their assignments successful.
The senior Scouts were also able to play with some of their equipment
and sat in a nice fully equipped Hummer. The Boy Scouts had a blast, and
it is all due to Mr. Kitade, who was able to arrange a day and time when
the SWAT team was not too busy to meet with us.
Also, on
April 17 -19, the troop went on its yearly Lake Pardee outing for the
new incoming Boy Scouts. On April 25, the Boy Scout troop had its annual
Iron Chef Cook-Off where the Scouts get scored on their cooking skills
using this year’s secret ingredient, ginger.
During March
and April, even though there were no meetings during spring break, the
troop still accomplished many things and enjoyed all the activities. Ken Furukawa
April 15! That is the deadline for this
short letter to the editors for the
Sangha newsletter. Luckily
I finished my federal and state income taxes a few weeks ago. How the
pressures and constraints of everyday life seem to squeeze us tightly at
certain times of the year. Of course, that is life, and part of a
never-ending stream of life events which remind us that nothing is
constant (except of course "death and taxes").
Another reminder of constant change is
the passage of time so evident at each Hanamatsuri play. Why even I
remember when the directors and TAs for the classes participating in the
play were short and so cute when they went up onstage as little
children! And now they are leaders for important and public
organizational roles! Of course that also means that we, their parents
and elders, will keep getting older.
The play is also a great example of how
interdependent we all are for even seemingly simple events. We who
witnessed the finished product are often unaware of the weeks of work,
planning, writing, cajoling, coordinating and rehearsal that went into
the wonderful "Field of Dharma" production. For this I want to extend a
hearty congratulations to Cliff Adams and Ann Amioka, and the director
triumvirate of Leann Castle, Emma Maron and Keri Castle.
The Dharma School teachers will be
attending the Federation of Dharma School Teachers Leagues conference in
Mountain View the last weekend of April. This will be an interesting
conference for all participants, and will hopefully continue to spark
dynamic teaching for our vibrant program.
The Dharma School service and picnic at
Land Park will be on Sunday, June 14. This once again promises to be a
fun service and lunch among friends and family, and the bouncy house
will be back along with food and fun games for all! Of course there will
be the service, awards, recognition of scholarship recipients, and a
performance by the Junior Choir. So, put off the early vacation for one
weekend and come to the school year finale.
Once again, we are always looking for
volunteers to help with part-time teaching duties. At this time we do
have a prospective 7th grade teacher. I am sure that help will be
appreciated with 7th grade, and we still need help with the high school
level "In Search Of" class. Although summer is fast approaching, that
also means next fall is only around the corner from that.
In Gassho.
Donations
Dharma School
“Courtyard” gratefully acknowledges donations from the following:
Gladys Adachi
Mary Amemiya
Chiyoko Fuchigami
Ted Fukui
Naomi Hamamoto
Nancy Hashimoto
Irene Hoshiko
Masami Ichiho
Michiko Imai
Tak Ito
Richard & Pearl Kai
Mae Kaneko
Utako Kimura
Reiko Kurahara
Emmie Makishima
Jan Nishi
Eleanor Nobuye
Mits & Miyo Omoto
Mary Orite
Haruye Osaki
Oto’s Marketplace
Mieko Oto
Florence Oto-Wong
Kiyo Tanaka
Tomi Tanaka
Tomi & Jim Tanaka
Sueko & Haruo Yamashita
Fusaye Yokoyama Cub Scouts Pack 50Denis Ishisaka
From the looks of it, spring has finally arrived. With some great
weather, Pack 50 Scouts and parents got their hands dirty performing a
community service project for Earth Day. This year, the Scouts and
parents helped plant more than 2,000 native grass plugs amongst
previously planted trees and modified a drip irrigation system at the
Sacramento County Sanitation District Bufferlands. Thank you to all the
Scouts and parents who came out to help and fight off their allergies. A
special thank you goes to Stephen Ito and his committee for lining up a
wonderful community project!
A BIG CONGRATULATIONS goes to Nicholas S. of Den 10. Nicholas
represented Pack 50 in the River City District Pinewood Derby. Out of
approximately 12 racers from other packs, Nicholas’ fast car took FIRST
PLACE! Way to go, Nicholas!
Interested in joining the Cub Scouts? Pack 50 is looking for new Scouts
who wish to join. Please contact Marty Sakata, Norman Tanaka, or Stacey
Dorais if your son is interested and to learn more about Pack 50 and Cub
Scouting.
Cub Scout Pack 50 would like to acknowledge and thank Bobby and Elaine
Tanaka for their generous donation to the Pack. Thank you Mr. and Mrs.
Tanaka!
Upcoming Events
Space Derby April 24, 7 p.m. in the
Kaikan
Arrow of Light Ceremony May 8, 7
p.m. in the Kaikan Girl Scouts Troop 569Sacramento Buddhist Women’s Association Lynn Kurahara
April’s SBWA Board meeting was held on Wednesday,
April 1. Doreene Hess, program manager at ACC, did a brief
presentation on services ACC provides on interpretation of phone
bills and potential scams that we need to be aware of. She is
willing to address any groups that would find this information
useful. She will also review your phone bill with you to make sure
you are being charged appropriately. Just call her at (916)
393-9026, ext. 223.
Yoshie Iwasaki celebrated her 100th birthday
recently. Heidi Sakazaki, on behalf of SBWA, was proud to
congratulate and present her with a sagari fuji pendant and wish her
many more wonderful years.
The new drapes in the kaikan, purchased with the
Mikiye Hayashi donation, are up. They cost a bundle and look
fabulous! Please handle them with care so they will last a long
time.
DONATIONS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS May Kurimoto Special Donation Yumikura Family In Memory of Eddy Yumikura Mollie Oto Quick Book computer software program
SPRING FOOD FESTIVAL
Thank you very much for all the hard work you put in
to make the Spring Food Festival a tremendous success! Even the
weather cooperated with a warm, sunny day. We completed the sushi
making in record time and sold out of almost everything.
We would like to especially thank the Sports
Committee volunteers who helped: Alaina Fong, Rene Fong, Paula
Mishima, Ray Valdovino, Patti Kitade, Amy Hironaka, Ellen Hamatani,
MaryAnn Kashiwagi and Suzane Bristow.
Thank you also to those who came out to help clean
up on Monday morning.
SPECIAL EVENTS:
April 18
“Nihonmachi, The Place to Be” 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
performances at the Sacramento Buddhist Church. The performance is
sponsored by the Sacramento Buddhist Church, Sacramento Japanese
United Methodist Church and the Asian Community Center. Produced by
the Grateful Crane Ensemble, a Los Angeles-based non-profit theater
company, the same group that did “Camp Dance.” If you enjoyed “Camp
Dance,” you will surely enjoy Nihonmachi. Please contact Lynn
Kurahara at 392-3022 for tickets of $30 per person.
April-May
During these two months, SBWA will be visiting SBWA
members and friends who reside in nursing/care homes or are
homebound to chat and offer our best wishes along with a small gift.
May 22
There will be a meeting for all those interested in
attending the BCA Federation of Buddhist Women’s Association (FBWA)
Conference on October 9, 10 and 11, 2009 at the DoubleTree Hotel.
The meeting will start at 1 p.m. in Classrooms 1 and 4. All of your
questions will be answered and forms will be available for you to
complete. Please consider joining us at the 41st BCA FBWA
Conference!
The conference theme is “Looking Back, Looking
Ahead, Passing on the Legacy.” In Japanese it is “Kako to Mirai wo
Mitsumeru.” The keynote speakers are Reverend Diane Johnson
(English) from the Myokoin Temple in Anchorage, Alaska, and Reverend
Mariko Nishiyama (Japanese) from the Lahaina Hongwanji Temple on
Maui, Hawaii. The FBWA will also be commemorating Shinran Shonin’s
750th Memorial Service on Saturday, October 10. Transportation to
the conference will be available, for a small fee, through ACC
Rides.
The next SBWA board meeting will be on May 6, 2009.
Every year, the SBWA tries to visit as many SBWA
members and friends who are living in nursing homes, care homes,
convalescent homes or are homebound. On our visits, we give them a
little gift and chat with them for a while. When we called facilities we
had visited in the past to update our lists, we could not get any names
because the new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) regulations prevent them from giving us much information about
their residents.
We always visit the ACC Nursing Home on Rush River
and the American River Care Home on Marconi, but if you know of any
other facilities where SBWA members and friends reside, please give
their names to Lynn Kurahara at 392-3022. If you know they don’t want
visitors, please let us know this, as we will not bother them, but we’ll
keep a record of this. Thank you for your help. Funerals
Keiko Komura
In Memory of Toshiharu Komura
Randal Watanabe
In Memory of Rose Watanabe
Erv Gon
In Memory of Helen Gon
David Watanabe
In Memory of Louise Watanabe
George, Sachi, Steve
Hiromoto Family
In Memory of Rose Watanabe
Dr. David Taketa
In Memory of Toshiharu Komura
Thomas Sasaki
In Memory of Rose Watanabe
Ted & Tak Ito
In Memory of Helen Gon
Memorial
Jean Kaneko Family
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
Ronald Shintaku
In Memory of Mae T. Shintaku
Molly Kimura, Emiko &
Machiko Kimura
1st Year for Kazuo Kimura, 50th Year for Mother, Tomiye Kimura
Yoshi Natsuhara
In Memory of Natsuhara Family Service
Kimiko Masunaga
In Memory of Kinzo & Mutsuye Masunaga
JoAnn Kobayashi Family
13th Year for JoAnn K. Kobayashi
Lori Fujikawa
13th Year for Terry Fujikawa
Takashi Inaba
49th Day for Aeko Inaba
Jackson Ito
In Memory of Kazuo Kimura
Ben Kunibe Family
1st Year for Kazuo Kimura, 50th Year for Tomiye Kimura
Robert & Marjorie
Nakaji, Tom & Mai Elard Family, Ross & Kris Family
1st Year for Kazuo Kimura, 50th Year for Tomiye Kimura
Yoshie Tsukimoto Family
50th Year for Tomiye Kimura, 1st Year for Kazuo Kimura
Goichi & Alice Hamamoto
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
Stephen & Donna Hiromoto
7th Year for Roy Takeo Shimada
Kathleen Ito Family
7th Year for Roy Takeo Shimada
Ray & Elaine Itogawa
13th Year for JoAnn K. Kobayashi
Melvin & Norrine Okamoto
25th Year for Frank K. Ito
Dennis Shimada
In Memory of Roy Shimada
Karen Shimada
7th Year for Roy Takeo Shimada
Kay Shimada
In Memory of Roy Shimada
Tak & Jeanne Fujitani
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
George & Alice Shimizu
49th Day for Aeko Inaba
Scott Hokama, Susan
Ichiho
In Memory of Eddy Yumikura
Hatsune Kadoi
In Memory of Setsuo A. Kadoi
Kinya & Helen Noguchi
In Memory of Kanji Nishijima
H. S. Fujitani
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
James Fujitani
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
Kiyoko Fujitani
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
Reiko Kurahara
1st Year for Midori Morisawa
E. M. Nishikawa
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
Robert Snapka, Edith
Yamasaki
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
M/M Herb Umeda
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
Joe Urokogata
In Memory of Tom Sumida
Tomiko Yabumoto Family
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
George Yamasaki
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
M/M Don Yamasaki
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
M/M Ray Yamasaki
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
Betty Tabata
In Memory of Akiko Ito
Jean Fujitani
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
Special
Ministers’ Assistants
Program
Kaikan Chairs
Sakura Gakuen
Kaikan Chairs
Michiko Imai
Special Donation
Revs. Bob & Patti Oshita
Kaikan Chairs
Sacramento Betsuin
Dharma School
Kaikan Chairs
Walnut Grove Buddhist
Church
In Appreciation
Koyama Family: Tom &
Family of George & Annie Ward (Linda & Leslie), Patty (Russ) Barbara
In Honor of Yoshie Iwasaki's 100th Year Birthday
Capitol Wellness, Inc.
Special Donation
Brian & Cynthia Hatano
Kaikan Chairs
Frank & Katsuko Hirota
Kaikan Chairs
Frank & Ellen Ito
Kaikan Chairs
Robert & Norma Ito
Kaikan Chairs
Phyllis Iwasaki
100th Year Birthday for Yoshie Iwasaki
Floyd & Lynda Kameda
100th Year Birthday for Yoshie Iwasaki
George & Amiko Kashiwagi
Kaikan Chairs
Heidi Sakazaki
100th Year Birthday for Yoshie Iwasaki
Sawada Family
88th Year Birthday for Michiko Imai
Dr. Henry & Margo
Sugiyama
100th Year Birthday for Yoshie Iwasaki
Joyce, Denise & Clifford
Yokomizo Family
100th Year Birthday for Yoshie Iwasaki
Roy & Clara Hayashi
Special Donation
Molly Kimura
Kaikan Chairs
R. H. Mercer
Special Donation
Kay Shimada
In Honor of Yoshie Iwasaki's 100th Year Birthday
James & Sayoko Shimada
In Honor of Yoshie Iwasaki's 100th Year Birthday
Meri Fong
In Honor of Yoshie Iwasaki's 100th Year Birthday
Cliff Adams
Ojuzu Repair
Marti Lathrop
Ojuzu Repair
Anonymous
Ojuzu Repair
John Itagaki
Ojuzu Repair
Endowment
Michiko Imai
Legacy Endowment Fund
John & Marlene Itagaki
Special Donation
Yoshie Iwasaki
Yoshie Iwasaki's 100th Year Birthday
John & Mae Kaneko
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
Yuji & Kimi Kaneko
1st Year for Sam Kaneko
Stephen & Keiko Jean
Kashiwada
Birth of Grandson, Gavin Hideo Yoshimura
Ted & Sharon Yoshimura
Birth of Grandson, Gavin Hideo Yoshimura Wayne Kurahara
Shoya & Ikuko Sakazaki
In Honor of Yoshie Iwasaki's 100th Year Birthday
Mary K. Fong
In Memory of Tosh Komura
George & Amiko Kashiwagi
Happy Birthday to Kanon Nakata
George & Amiko Kashiwagi
Happy Birthday to Dr. Henry Sugiyama
M/M Mark Umeda
In Memory of Sam Kaneko
Nokotsudo
Masao M. Shirasago
In Memory of Bunichi Kimiko Shirasago
Frank & Ellen Ito
3rd Year for Ray Takata |
|
Keiko Komura
Kathryn Shigaki
Welcome back:
Clifford & Susan Oto
Frances Wright Condolences to the Families of
Louise Chiyoko Watanabe
March 18, 1924 – March 21, 2009
Rose Akiye Watanabe
October 16, 1928 – March 22, 2009
Toshiharu Komura
March 18, 1919 – March 26, 2009 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||