Month: September 2024

On September 29, The Let’s Talk Story Club hosted a successful book sale at the Orange County Buddhist Church’s Kazoku-No-Hi “Ohana” Family Day. It was wonderful to see so many families who are part of the Japanese American community come out for this special event.

I had the pleasure of delivering the kickoff presentation, sharing about our mission to support seniors of Japanese ancestry. It was especially nice to meet leaders from other nonprofit organizations serving the Japanese American community including Keiro, Little Tokyo Service Center, Kizuna and Zentoku Foundation. Thank you to Diana Ono for inviting us to this special event. And thank you to our Let’s Talk Story Club volunteers Kara Niho, Maddy Nguyen, and Kari Kuriyama. 

By: Audrey Shiono

We were so honored when Let’s Talk Story Club was invited to attend the Go For Broke National Education Center’s 23rd Annual Evening of Aloha Gala! The event took place on September 14 at the beautiful Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, and it was such an incredible experience to be part of. The theme, Living the Nisei Veteran’s Dream, paid tribute to the heroic legacy of Japanese American soldiers who served during World War II.

It was inspiring to see so many notable guests gathered to support this important cause. ABC7 News Anchor David Ono was the host, and Kendyl Sayuri Yokoyama, the lead actor from the Hamilton national tour, moved the audience with her rendition of the National Anthem and a beautiful performance of “The Impossible Dream.” The dinner was amazing, prepared by the famous Chef Roy Yamaguchi and King’s Hawaiian Bakery.

One of the most memorable parts of the evening was the roll call of veterans. We were so lucky to see members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team: Tokuji “Toke” Yoshihashi, Hachiro “Hutch” Mayewaki, and Yoshio “Yosh” Nakamura, as well as Cadet Nurse Mary Tamura. Hearing their names called and seeing them honored made the evening even more meaningful.

A huge thank you to Dr. Mitchell Maki, President of the GFBNEC, for giving Let’s Talk Story this opportunity. And we are beyond grateful to Apryll Nakamura, whose support for our club has been incredible—she even donated a digital advertisement to help spread the word about our work! This experience was one we will never forget, and we are so grateful to have been a part of it.

Throughout the summer, students from the AP Japanese class at South High School in Torrance, California volunteered with the Let’s Talk Story Club.

As part of their coursework, they practiced their Japanese language skills by completing Let’s Talk Story books with their grandparents (of Japanese ancestry). Here’s what the students said about their experiences:

“We were excited to learn that our grandpa played football, while our grandma was a varsity cheerleader.”

“My grandpa just kept talking and talking.”

Overall, our volunteers were truly able to “see” the cognitive benefits of the Let’s Talk Story sessions.