By: Taisho and Audrey
Dear Ben,
We first saw your paintings of the beaches of Maui and Mount Fuji at the Go-For-Broke National Education Center. We knew they’d be perfect for our memory book illustrations.
Then we visited you at your senior home to present the book and document your own life story. We’ll never forget your tales fighting for the U.S. against Japan–your mother country–while your family was incarcerated at an internment camp. It struck us: some stories must never be forgotten. You validated that all the work to create our nonprofit was worth it.
Because of you, over 250 more seniors’ fascinating stories have now been documented. We’ve received thank-yous from volunteers across California, Hawaii, Japan and Mexico. We were even on Good Day LA news!
We will continue to preserve life stories like yours. We want to thank you. You’ve taught us that stories give us a sense of identity, connect us to our roots, and deepen our perspectives on past injustices.
Your friends,
Taisho and Audrey