Continuing Education for the Nikkei Widowed, Inc. (CENW) was established to provide support to Japanese American and Japanese older adults who have lost their spouses. The group, of which 95% are over the age of 80, met monthly pre-pandemic to provide educational opportunities and support to its members.

• Funding from Keiro will allow CENW to continue its program support for the group’s widow/widower members to stay connected through newsletters and other activities during homebound isolation.

East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center (ESGVJCC) has provided programs and services that promote the Japanese American culture and heritage since 1961. ESGVJCC’s “Senior Wellness Program” offers nutritious lunches, social activities, exercise programs, and educational seminars for its older adult members now through virtual classes.

• Funding from Keiro will allow ESGVJCC to continue its Senior Wellness Program that supports the center’s ability to provide weekly grab-and-go lunches and virtual programs to engage dozens of local older adults.

Faith United Methodist Church (Faith UMC) has been in the community for over 60 years and is home to different groups supporting older adults and caregivers in the community.

• Support from Keiro will help Faith UMC provide bento deliveries to isolated older adults in the local community through their weekly meal program.

First Presbyterian Church Altadena (FPC Altadena) was established over 100 years ago and serves a congregation of primarily Japanese American older adults.

• Support from Keiro will allow FPC Altadena to establish and implement an iPad training course while providing members access to this technology to stay connected to the church and other members.

Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute (GVJCI) has served the Japanese American and Japanese community living in the South Bay for over 50 years through educational, social, and cultural programs for all ages. They offer a variety of programs throughout the week and now offer virtual classes.

• Support from Keiro will allow GVJCI to continue its food bank box distribution while including culturally relevant resources and provisions for the local community on a monthly basis.

Go For Broke National Education Center (GFBNEC) provides education and tells the important story of Japanese American World War II veterans. Serving an aging population of WWII veterans and their spouses, GFBNEC continues to keep their older members engaged with the ongoing activities of the organization through monthly virtual gatherings and events.

• Funding from Keiro will allow GFBNEC to remain connected to its members through support for their monthly virtual meetings through staff and meal support for the older adult veterans and their families.

Japanese Christian Church Federation of Southern California (JCCFSC) unites the various churches and ministries that provide Japanese-language programs in Southern California. For the past 45 years, JCCFSC has conducted monthly reihai services in Japanese for the residents of the facilities formerly owned by Keiro.

• Funding from Keiro will help JCCFSC meet a key need in the Japanese speaking community to provide spiritual support and guidance through messages provided by their pastoral services that are made widely available through print and online publications.

Little Tokyo Nutrition Services (LTNS) has provided daily hot Japanese lunches and referral services to older adults living in Little Tokyo and homebound individuals within the surrounding area for over 40 years. Currently, LTNS delivers lunches to homebound older adults five days per week.

• Support from Keiro will help fund PPE needs for the volunteers delivering 130 meals five days per week while allowing LTNS to purchase new equipment and training to build capacity to track and monitor the recipients of their meal delivery service.

Long Beach Buddhist Church (LBBC) is dedicated to sharing the teachings of the Buddha and serving as a positive presence in their local community. They strive to honor and continue the traditions of their founding members, as they aim to provides services and activities to ensure that Buddhism remains a way of life.

• Support from Keiro will allow LBBC to outreach to its homebound members through a multi-faceted approach involving care package deliveries, newsletters, and person-to-person outreach to ensure strong connections are maintained in their community for their homebound older adults.

Long Beach Japanese Cultural Center/Long Beach-Harbor Pioneer Project (LBJCC/LBPP) has focused on improving the quality of life for older adults in the local Japanese American and Japanese community for over 60 years.

• Support from Keiro will help sustain the current lunch program LBJCC provides two times per week for over 30 meal recipients. Calls are made to meal recipients regularly to ensure they have social contact as well.

Los Angeles Holiness Church (LAHC) is a multi-generational Christian church founded in 1921 that serves both English and Japanese-speaking populations. With an aging congregation, LAHC enhances the spiritual, social, emotional, and physical wellbeing of older adults and caregivers in its congregation through its Senior Ministry and Caregiver Support.

• Funding from Keiro will allow LAHC to continue to offer support for their Senior Ministry and Caregiver Support groups. These ongoing programs of deliveries made by caregivers and church members to the older adults keeps them connected to their community.

Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple has been providing weekly religious and spiritual services for Japanese American and Japanese families since 1905. The temple continues to offer services virtually for its members.

• Support from Keiro will help fund the popular Tai Chi and Qi Gong class for older adults, now offered in a virtual manner. These classes provide opportunities for both socialization and exercise with the ability to connect before and after the virtual class.

Los Angeles Men’s Glee Club (LAMGC) has been supporting Japanese American and Japanese older adults in the community through special choral performances and concerts for the past 20 years as the only Japanese men’s chorus in Southern California.

• Funding from Keiro will provide general operating support to allow LAMGC to maintain its ability to have its members gather virtually over Zoom through weekly practices.

Makoto Taiko is a Pasadena-based arts organization that teaches and performs Japanese taiko drumming as a musical, physical, and spiritual practice.

• Funding from Keiro will allow Makoto Taiko to develop a program specifically geared towards older adults through both education and outreach to older adults who are at-risk for isolation. This program will support older adults in the community using taiko as a way to connect with others.

Mission Valley Free Methodist Church (MVFMC) focuses on connecting people and providing care to those in need with the purpose of becoming a loving community. Nearly 30% of its members are 65 and older.

• Support from Keiro will allow MVFMC to continue its grab-and-go monthly lunch program that engages its older adult members. Newsletters and other educational materials will be provided to the members through this program as well.

Mutual Ministries Christ Church & St. Andrews serve the community of Redondo Beach and Torrance. With a goal of reaching the Japanese-speaking community in these areas, this program brings together the local community and offers opportunities for socialization.

• Support from Keiro will allow the mutual ministries to utilize technology to provide classes and translation services to the Japanese speaking communities of Redondo Beach and Torrance as a means of staying connected and creating lasting relationships.

OPICA Adult Day Program and Counseling Center provides support for older adults with memory disorders and their families, including programs specifically for Japanese American and Japanese older adults in a now virtual manner.

• Funding from Keiro will allow OPICA to support a staff member focused on outreaching to local Japanese community organizations to share their services with the rest of the community that can be offered in a virtual manner.

Orange County Buddhist Church (OCBC)serves families of all ages and hundreds of older adult members through various programs and events.

• Support from Keiro will continue OCBC’s “Tomodachi Bento Program” where volunteers deliver meals twice monthly to homebound older adults. Volunteers engage the meal recipients in a meaningful way through conversation and provide much-needed social contact to help maintain connections with their local community members.

Orange County Friendship Choir (OCFC) is a Japanese-speaking choir group founded in 2009 comprised primarily of members over the age of 65. OCFC’s mission is to participate in chorus and cultivate friendship among their diverse choir and audience members, enhancing the quality of life for elderly Japanese American and Japanese nationals residing in Orange County.

• Support from Keiro will allow OCFC members to stay connected through virtual practices while allowing the older members of the choir to stay active in the group.

Orange County Japanese American Association (OCJAA) serves over 1,500 individuals in the Japanese-speaking community of Orange County and promotes various social services and Japanese cultural activities through virtual events, programs, and educational seminars.

• Funding from Keiro will allow OCJAA to continue to serve the Japanese speaking older adults in the OC area through their caregiver support group, technology support, and trainings for its members to learn to use the technology effectively to stay connected with each other.

Oxnard Buddhist Temple (OBT) serves over 100 older adults through Japanese culturally-sensitive services, seminars, and conferences to support its aging congregation. Since its founding in 1929, OBT has remained one of the few organizations that serves the Japanese American and Japanese community in Ventura County.

• Support from Keiro will allow OBT to help renovate its Social Hall restroom to allow for safe in-person activities once they are allowed. Funding is also helping OBT’s Support for Seniors Program in various events throughout 2021 that will engage older adults with other members of the congregation.

Pasadena Buddhist Temple (PBT) has served the community for over 60 years as a spiritual center for members as well as a gathering place for cultural, social, athletic, and other local community events.

• Funding from Keiro will allow PBT to provide care package deliveries to its homebound members while also supporting lunches for the Pasadena Nikkei Seniors group.

Pasadena Nikkei Seniors (PNS) was established as a completely volunteer-run organization with the goals of enhancing the quality of life of and providing a comfortable social environment for older Japanese American and Japanese members. PNS sponsors a variety of social activities and events that promote both physical and mental wellness, bringing together a group of around 70 individuals during monthly lunches and trips that help bridge the Nisei and Sansei generations.

• Funding from Keiro will allow PNS to provide their twice monthly lunch program to local older adults while also offering some support for a future luncheon for its growing membership.

Sakura Chorus was founded in 1982 as a female choral group and has been providing concerts for the residents of the former Keiro facilities in addition to performing in the Los Angeles/South Bay area. Sakura Chorus is one of the oldest local Japanese choir groups.

• Support from Keiro will allow Sakura Chorus to maintain its membership by allowing members to stay connected through their involvement in the group through their weekly online practices.

Union Church of Los Angeles has historically provided Parkinson’s Support group services since 1982 for the local community. Alongside the mission of Union Church, their Give Urban Farms group wishes to help promote the area into being a greener, healthier, and more sustainable city through urban farming initiatives.

• Funding from Keiro will allow Union Church to support its Parkinson’s group while also helping fund the arts program of Give Urban Farms to socially engage local Little Tokyo residents in the community once it is safe to do so.

Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple (VHBT) was established over 50 years ago to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. VHBT provides a number of programs to meet the needs of its aging membership.

• Funding from Keiro will allow VHBT to provide monthly care package deliveries to its aging membership. Support is also offered for members who are caregivers while also helping VHBT purchase audio/visual equipment to provide services virtually to its members.

Venice Japanese Community Center (VJCC) was founded almost 100 years ago and continues its mission to preserve, share, and promote Japanese American and Japanese culture. The center provides many activities for multiple generations and has a large population of older adult members.

• Funding from Keiro will help VJCC expand its Senior Wellness Program in the virtual space to provide relevant programs and educational opportunities for its members. Support will allow VJCC to outreach to members to provide relevant programs focused on creating social connections.

Visual Communications Media is a community-based nonprofit media arts organization that provides services for the older adult community in Little Tokyo through its “Digital Histories Filmmaking” program. Not only does this program allow older adults a creative outlet to share their stories, but they are also able to socialize together as a cohort and feel a greater sense of community through virtual gatherings.

• Support from Keiro will fund the Digital Histories program that has transitioned to a virtual format in response to the pandemic. This program provides opportunities for older adult participants to share their stories with the community and future generations.

West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple (WLABT) is a community of people joined together to revere the teaching of Shinran Shonin. Members seek to share wisdom and compassion to work towards the realization of a society in which everyone is able to live a life of spiritual fulfilment.

• Support from Keiro will allow WLABT to provide regular bento lunch deliveries to its members while also providing access to services and recordings using technology that will provide older adult members with more accessible ways to watch services and to stay connected with the temple.

Zenshuji Soto Mission has served the Japanese American and Japanese community through spiritual support and regular programs since 1922. Zenshuji continues to develop new activities to best serve its aging congregation.

• Funding from Keiro will allow Zenshuji to continue its virtual Zen Aerobics class while focusing on maintaining connections virtually. Support is also offered for a care package component and educational materials for the program participants.

Zentoku Foundation shares inspiring memories about the Japanese American culture and community with its readers. They wish to educate and inspire the community by sharing a collection of stories and traditions of Japanese culture, both past and present.

• Funding from Keiro will focus on providing support to share stories and features with the older adults in the community as Zentoku Foundation helps share Japanese American experiences with the community.