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Board
Meeting,
February 23, 2008, 10am
Attending: Tom Willems,
Mitzu Yamazaki, Nobuko Utterback, Norio Seki,
Rosemary Kowalski, Janet Powell, Koji Kubo,
James Opper, Mike Nishimuta, 3 guests (Vivian
Seki, 2 exchange students)
Scholarship Report: Tom
reports that Max wanted to set up a scholarship
account at Frost Bank. James moves that
scholarship money be moved to the Wells Fargo
account and then transferred to an account at
Frost Bank. Tom seconds the motion. Motion
passes. Rosemary asks the amount. Tom reports
$50,000. Tom asks who is currently on the
scholarship committee. Rosemary replies that it
was Max and Suzanne, but no one now. Tom states
that the board needs to decide who will serve on
the scholarship committee. Board identifies Yuko
Kawabe, Robert Langston, Taeg Nishimoto and
Yabe-san from Trinity University to be
nominated. Tom moves that the board nominate
these persons. Rosemary seconds. Motion passes.
Suzanne of Frost Bank will provide direction on
how the money is to be spent. Rosemary indicates
that the scholarship committee will report to
Suzanne.
JASSA's correspondence:
Mike suggested that Tamaki have access to the
JASSA post office box for general
correspondence. Norio will check to see if he
has the key. Hiroko also had a key and is also
checking. A suggestion was made that the PO box
be changed. Tom stated that you cannot forward
mail from one PO box to another. Norio will
contact Tamaki about the key and mail. She will
be in charge of checking mail.
JASSA's email: Mike
explains the protocol for handling new
memberships via online, mail or Paypal. Hiroko
is was sending welcome to JASSA emails to new
members. Tamaki is in charge of new membership.
She will have to add member information to
members list and newsletter mailing list. Nobuko
gets forwarded any new emails to add to the
email notifications list. Mike has a list of
members who have paid via Paypal.
Small Business membership:
Mike indicates that many small businesses are
now joining JASSA. Many join for the
advertising. However, several of these small
businesses have indicated that the $500 fee per
year was not affordable. Mike proposes creating
a small business membership with a lower fee.
James moves that a Membership Benefits committee
be formed to clearly identify what benefits each
level of membership will have, including this
new small business level. Tom seconds. Motion
passes. Janet, Mike, James and Kubo will serve
on this committee.
Fiesta Float: Norio brings
up idea that was suggested of having a Fiesta
Float. He suggests the item be tabled. Board
concurs.
Girls Day display: Norio
needs a thank you letter for the donor of the
Girls Day display to JASSA. It is currently
being kept at his garage and needs to be
transferred to JASSA's storage. It is explained
that the display is set up the first week of
March. The board needed ideas of where best to
have this displayed. Japanese Tea Garden opening
ceremony and San Antonio Public Library was
suggested. Set up and take down of the display
may take one hour. Mike suggests it be displayed
where people can't touch it once set up.
Rosemary also mentions a special kimono that was
given to JASSA and would like it displayed. She
suggests we lend it to San Antonio Museum of
Art. Tom makes the motion to loan these items to
SAMA if they wish to display them. Mike seconds.
Motion passes.
Japanese Companies
Association Annual Charity Golf Tournament:
Norio announces that the JCA Annual Charity Golf
Tournament takes place on May 17, Saturday at
Golf of Texas. Rosemary donates to it every
year. All the proceeds go to the Japanese
supplemental school. Rosemary would like to
invite a representative of JCA to speak at the
March 9 General Meeting about this tournament
and its purpose. They are in need of sponsors
and announcements. Mitsu mentions that Mr. Yokou
wants JCA to be involved in JASSA. Norio attends
JCA's meetings as a representative of JASSA. JCA
and JASSA are honorary members of each other.
But apparently JCA does not get our information
or emails. Mitsu will send a JCA email list to
Nobuko.
Supervision of Tamaki:
James brings up that Hiroko and Ava were
supervising Tamaki but that someone with more
time will have to be designated. Rosemary
suggested Michiko. James expressed that it is a
shame that Tamaki is not being utilized as she
should be. Rosemary will meet with Tamaki on
March 3, 10am to discuss the future and get an
update on what she is currently working on. Need
to identify personal time versus JASSA time for
her activities. Rosemary welcomes any other
board member to attend this meeting.
Opening of Japanese Tea
Garden: Rosemary announces the opening of the
Japanese Tea Garden. A private ceremony will be
held on Thursday, March 6. She would like to
know of any musicians that can be invited to
perform, particularly drum players. There is no
local taiko group. Hidei, keyboard player, was
suggested to be contacted to play for this
occassion. Norio says he will probably do it for
a fee. Norio will contact. Rosemary also would
like 4 persons to serve as greeters, preferably
dressed in kimonos at Thursday's ceremony from 4
to 8pm and Saturday, March 8 for the general
public opening ceremony. Janet Powell's exchange
students can volunteer but will need to borrow
kimonos.
NAJAS Meeting and Grant:
Mitsu and Rosemary attended the
Sixth International
Symposium of America-Japan Societies in
Washington, DC., February 5-8. Main topics were
big festivals, corporate sponsorship, events to
attract membership. Most of the other societies
have staff. Our small society does not compare
to many of the other long standing societies in
the big cities. We are young and small. There
was lengthy discussion on reciprocal membership.
The Japan Foundation
announced a new initiative aimed at promoting
sustained growth and innovation within Japan
America Societies. Support will be provided for
projects that seek to increase the capacities of
Japan America Societies and to enhance
networking among and between societies. The
Japan Foundation is the foundation that
granted us money to bring Tamaki to work for us.
Documentation on the two types of grants was
provided by Mitsu. Mike said that the City has a
grantwriter that could be available for us to
use. Mike and Mitsu will work on a draft for the
grant. Deadline for preliminary proposal is
March 14. Deadline for full proposal is May 16.
Several ideas were presented including annual
fundraising events for various things such as
scholarship, perhaps the Japanese supplemental
school. Rosemary also indicated that we need to
talk to the San Antonio Area Foundation. The
Area Foundation offers a variety of different
types of funds to meet the specific
organizational needs of a nonprofit. For
example, a nonprofit may establish a fund to
invest its operational assets, protect its
endowed monies to meet future needs, provide a
relatively constant source of annual income,
provide a vehicle for specific project funds,
accept Real Estate and other planned gifts to
help fulfill its mission in the short term
and/or in perpetuity. She will invite a
representative from the Hispanic Fund to make a
presentation. Suzanne of Frost will probably not
have time to do this for JASSA. Rosemary will
meet with Reggie of San Antonio Area Foundation
on Wednesday February 27, at 4pm on Broadway and
Houston downtown. Mitsu and Mike will join to
discuss the possibility of finding a person to
help write the grant for the Japan Foundation.
Visiting Drs. from Kumamoto: Nobuko, Hiroko,
Kubo and Rosemary were all involved in meeting
with the visiting doctors from Kumamoto and took
them out to lunch and see the sights.
Alamo Asian American Chamber of Commerce: Mitsu
announces that the AAACC will have a membership
drive mixer at Radius Cafe on March 13.
Asian Festival: Rosemary spoke with Mary Ellen
Smith, Director of Volunteer Programs, and she
indicated that she will need help and support to
keep this festival going year to year. We need
to investigate how we can help.
James moves to adjourn. Janet seconds. Meeting
adjourns at 12:30pm.
Board Meeting Oct
10, 2007
Attendees:
Rosemary Kowalski, Hiroko Fay, James Opper,
Robert Langston, Norio Seki, Don Olsen, Mike
Nishimuta, Koji Kubo, and Tamaki Masuda
Rosemary called the meeting
to order at 6:15 p.m.
1. Minutes of the Last
Board Meeting. The minutes of the last board
meeting will be on the website, if there are no
corrections, it is considered to be approved by
Board.
2. Financial Statement.
James explained about the financial statement of
2007 and September. The statement will be filed
for audit. “Dues” category will be added and
dues paid to NAJAS, AAACC and Greater San
Antonio Chamber of Commerce will be included
under the category.
3. 2008 Budget. The
budget committee was organized and members are;
James Opper, Norio Seki and Mike Nishimuta. The
budget committee will have a separate meeting to
make a proposal of the budget for 2008. By end
of this year, the budget for 2008 should be
approved. Office rental, telephone will be
deleted from the budget but JOI coordinator’s
apartment will be included. Japanese speech
contest will be recalculated.
4. Japan “Matsuri”
Festival on Saturday, Oct. 20th. The Matsuri
schedule is available on the JASSA website,
although there is minor correction. Hide
Kataoka will play keyboard selections at 11:35
and Tim Cassler will play Honkyoku for
Shakuhachi at 11:55. The necessity of
establishment of Public Relations Committee to
release information about JASSA is discussed.
5. “Bonenkai” End of the
Year Party on Sunday, Dec. 2nd. Robert is
in the final stage of making a contract with
Blue Star Art Complex. The room allowed 200+
guests and the cost is $1000/100 guests.
Robert will also check the availability of Girl
Scout office but it may not allow us to have
alcohol. Robert will check with Howard Hu about
the cost of food and JASSA board will decide the
fee for members and non-members ($20 for members
and $25 for non-members in last year).
6. Establishment of JASSA Scholarship Fund. Scholarship
committee is organized and members are; Suzanne
Peterson from Frost National Bank, Max Navarro
from Operational Technologies Corporation and
Bruce Harrison from Quan, Bordette & Perez,
P.C. Mr. Fukuta from Toyota Motor Manufacturing
Texas, Inc has agreed to serve as honorary
chairman. Solicitation letter will be sent to
companies in San Antonio in a week. JASSA
Scholarship fund raising dinner is planned to be
held on Tuesday, November 20th at visitor center
of Toyota Motor and people who donated will be
invited. JASSA will open a new bank account
dedicated for the scholarship fund in Frost
Bank. JASSA will allocate the fund to
Unversities in San Antonio which have Japanese
Classes. Each School will decide the recipient
of the scholarship and each school’s scholarship
guidelines will be applied to recipient. Hiroko
Fay will keep the Board informed.
7. Luncheon and Lecture by Mrs. Nobuko Iinuma
on Nov. 3rd. The Japan Companies Association
is sponsoring a lecture by Nobuko Iinuma, an
author who writes about Japanese-Americans, as
part of their annual event. The Japan Companies
Association is paying for her expenses, and
JASSA will arrange a lecture in English at
Sushihana on Saturday, November 3rd. Lecture
fee of $500 will be paid by JASSA to Mrs. Iinuma.
Norio will discuss with Howard Hu about the cost
for the lunch and e-mail board members. Norio
to select the title of her lecture and inform
Mike. Mike will upload the information on the
website.
Rosemary commented that
extra items on the agenda are not items that
necessarily need to be addressed, but are
ongoing projects to keep in mind.
The date for General
meetings and Board meetings for 2008 were
selected.
General Meeting: March 9
(Sun), June 14 (Sun), September 14 (Sun),
December 7 (Sun)
Board Meeting (every 2nd Wednesday of the Month)
: Jan. 9, May 14, Aug. 13, Oct. 8
The meeting adjourned at
8:50.
General
Membership Meeting Sep 9, 2007
Mike
Nishimuta opens meeting and introduces the
nominees for JASSA Board officers. Mike asks new
members to introduce themselves. Mike asks new
corporate members to introduce themselves.
Rosemary Kowalski then addresses the
membership. Thanks Emilio for use of the Girl
Scout facility, at no charge to JASSA, that in
October they will be moving to a new building,
and that we will be welcomed to hold meetings
there. Rosemary completes 20 years as a JASSA
member. Thanks Mitsu Yamazaki for working with
JOI to help JASSA get Tamaki Masura for the next
2 years. Thanks Nobuko Utterback for providing
temporary housing for Tamaki. Thanks Mike
Nishimuta for helping Tamaki find housing and
necessary items. Thanks UIW, Tom Willems, and
others for their help and work. With Tamaki
onboard, expects JASSA will get lots of
recognition. Thanks Suzanne Peterson of Frost
Bank for accepting chairmanship of the
scholarship fundraising dinner. JASSA's goal is
to raise $50,000. Welcomes any corporation to
buy tables and dinners. Howard Hu of Sushihana
will be catering the event. Thanks to Max
Navarro for establishing the event in November.
Rosemary pledges the first $5,000 to the
scholarship fund. Rosemary introduces Tamaki
Masura. Rosemary is happy how much JASSA has
grown.
Tamaki Masusa addresses the membership. She
explains that she was assigned by JOI to serve
JASSA for the next two years. She is from
Fukuoka, Japan. Her family lived in Houston when
she was between the ages of 1 and 3. She is a
licensed pharmacist, worked at Sankyo for 10
years, worked in New Jersey and Germany for 3
years, and returned to Japan in 2005 to start
new companies. Her new office at the UIW is at
the International Conference Center. Has been in
San Antonio one month, already moved to an
apartment on Austin Highway. Welcomes any
members to visit her at the new office. Her new
email is tamaki@jas-sa.org.
James Opper gives the treasurer's report as
of August 2007, copies provided. Rosemary
motions to approve the report. Norio seconds.
Motion is passed.
Norio Seki addressed the membership to
conduct the election of Board officers for 2008
for one year. Explains that only 20 members are
needed for a quorum. Introduces Michiko
Tonegawa, Rick Havel, Tim Brogan and Dr.
Katsuhiko Shimizu as the election committee
members. Norio asks the nominees to be
recognized. Norio asks for any further
nominations from the membership. A member points
out that Don Olsen's position as parliamentarian
was not listed on the ballot. Rosemary explains
that the parliamentarian position is an
appointed position, not an elected position.
Norio makes the motion to cease nominations.
Toni Gustafson seconds. Motion is carried and
nominations are ceased. Norio then calls for a
voice vote to accept all nominations into
office. Membership votes and the ayes have it.
None against. Norio asks the new 2008 officers
to be recognized at the front of the meeting
room.
Mike Nishimuta announces upcoming JASSA
events. Alamo Asian American Chamber of Commerce
symposium in September; Matsuri festival October
20. Mike asks Toni Gustafson to speak about the
program. Toni asks for volunteers to help with
setup, take down, and other activities. See her
about volunteering. November 9 Carol Johnson
announces a Japanese cultural event at Radius
downtown. There will be Okinawa dancing, haiku
reciting, and taiko drumming. December 2 JASSA
will have their Bonnenkai catered by Sushihana.
Location yet to be determined. Mike opens the
floor for any other discussion and thanks
Rosemary for all she has done for JASSA.
Gus McCloskey announces the opening of his
new gallery for his ceramic arts on September 29
in Boerne. The name of the gallery is Hisago.
Will send out invitations to the opening.
Rosemary announces that she will be 83 years
young and will celebrate it in Paris, France.
Mike presents Rosemary with a birthday card
signed by JASSA members.
Tim Brogan moves to adjourn the meeting.
Janet seconds. Meeting is adjourned at 1:55 pm
and members proceed to enjoy refreshments.
Board meeting
July 11, 2007
Attendees: Rosemary
Kowalski, Hiroko Fay, Nobuko Utterback, James
Opper, Robert Langston, Mitsu Yamazaki, Tom
Willems, Norio Seki, Don Olsen, Mike Nishimuta,
Koji Kubo, Chris Espinoza, and Ava Perrill.
Tom opened the meeting at 6:20. The Alamo
Asian Chamber of Commerce will be having a
banquet and all-day symposium on September 15th.
They will be hosting the Texas Federation of
Asian American Chamber of Commerces, and Mayor
Hardberger will be attending. The cost will be
$1200 for a table of 8 people, including
registration for 4 people to attend the day-time
symposium. The event will be at the Marriott
Riverwalk. Norio suggested that JASSA sponsor a
table. James suggested that we let our corporate
members attend the symposium. Symposium
attendance alone is probably $90, and $65 for
members of the Alamo Asian Chamber of Commerce.
The Japan Companies Association is buying a
table. This is the first time for San Antonio to
host the event (the location rotates each year).
Mike made the motion, seconded by Tom and
approved, that JASSA sponsor a table. Tom will
send the details of the symposium for Nobuko to
distribute. Sponsors who sign up early will have
their name on the invitation. It was also
suggested to invite some non-Board members.
The Japan Companies Association is sponsoring
a lecture by Nobuko Iinuma, an author who writes
about Japanese-Americans, as part of their
annual event. The Japan Companies Association is
paying for her expenses, but her lecture for
their event will be in Japanese. Could JASSA
arrange a lecture in English? We would only need
to be responsible for a location for the lecture
and her speaker’s fee. She will be here on
November 2nd. Norio believes the lecture fee
might be $500-$1000. Mike will check to see if
we could use the community room or the library
at Our Lady of the Lake. Norio will obtain more
information.
Rosemary commented that extra items on the
agenda are not items that necessarily need to be
addressed, but are ongoing projects to keep in
mind. The minutes of the last meeting were
approved, and Mike has posted them on the
website.
James presented his financial report. There
was one correction: he has received the money
from Boeing for the Kelly USA event. He asked if
JASSA’s increased income would affect our
non-profit status. No one thought it should, but
Tom is going to double-check.
Rosemary asked if all the payments for Consul
General Kamo’s dinner had come in yet. There is
only one outstanding payment. JASSA paid
$9723.61 for this dinner, expected income is
about $9000, so the cost to JASSA was about
$700.
Hiroko mentioned that no records are kept of
“in-kind service” (the hours that volunteers
work), and we need to start keeping these
records, for instance to qualify for certain
grants. Tom asked if the time could be entered
on the website, and Ava suggested that Tamaki
could work on these records. Don suggested we
check with other Japan America Societies to see
how they keep their records. Nobuko suggested we
have sign-in sheets at the various events. Don
wanted to make sure the event organizers were
not given this additional responsibility. Mike
will check with the Dallas JAS and NAJAS on this
issue.
Norman said the UIW office space should be
ready by about August 15th, and Hiroko is hoping
we can move things directly from the Josephine
office to Incarnate Word. However, the IW office
is only 10’ by 10’, so not everything now in the
Josephine office will fit (for example, the
conference table). Norman is 99% sure Incarnate
Word will be able to provide a room for our
coordinator.
The office at Incarnate Word is being
provided to us free of charge. We were paying
$430/month for the Josephine office. This amount
plus the $200 stipend from JOI should cover
apartment costs for the coordinator if
necessary.
We discussed what type of materials Tamaki
should bring from Japan, such as examples of
cultural materials to show at various events.
Hiroko will contact her about this.
The Texas Education Agency is looking for
Japanese language teachers to participate in a
Japanese language teacher certification program.
Hiroko knows two non-JASSA members who she will
contact. Hiroko also suggested we reimburse the
teachers $300 from Rosemary’s budget. Mike asked
how JASSA would benefit from this. TEA will be
picking committee members from the participants
to certify future Japanese language teachers.
Tom reminded us that any educational activity
will bolster our 501(c)3 status.
Barry Cotton asked for our help with the
haiku contest. Chris suggested we form a
committee to work on it. Mike said he mentioned
it to Habitat for Humanity, and they will be
participating. Mike will contact Barry for more
details.
Four high school students from Kumamoto will
be coming to San Antonio for a year. Koji will
send more information to Nobuko so she can email
it to members. Robert suggested we hold a
reception for both the students, their host
families, and our JOI coordinator Tamaki.
Rosemary promised Dr. Agnese that JASSA will
promote Incarnate Word in Japan. Hiroko will be
doing this at sites she visits in Japan in
exchange for our free office space. The World
Affairs Council contacted us about a speaker,
but we didn’t have anyone suitable.
Mike asked anyone with articles for the
newsletter to send them in to him as soon as
possible. The meeting adjourned at 8:00.
Board Meeting May
7, 2007
Attendees: Rosemary Kowalski,
Hiroko Fay, Ava Rae Perrill, Robert Langston,
Don Olsen, Janet Powell, Vivian Seki, Katsu
Shimizu, James Opper, Toni Gustafson, Michiko
Tonegawa, Tom Willems, Nobuko Utterback, Koji
Kubo, Mike Nishimuta, and Norio Seki.
The meeting began at 6:10. Rosemary asked for
the minutes to be sent to board members by email
before the next meeting. Janet Powell needed the
addresses of the 06 board members. She said
JASSA’s taxes are due May 15th, and she has
prepared an extension if it is necessary.
James Opper asked for Pay Pal information. He
said the Japanese Speech Contest is not in the
budget, and asked if it should be included next
year. This issue will be addressed when next
year’s budget is being prepared. The Shinnenkai
expenses were over budget since the budget was
only $50. James motioned to accept the
Shinnenkai expenses, Mike seconded, and the
motion was approved.
The treasurer’s report has been filed for
audit.
Tom Willems was introduced as the new 1st
Vice President and Koji Kubo as the new Sister
City Chair. Tom was voted in by email, and Koji
was appointed by Rosemary.
Tom has lined up 7 underwriters for the
dinner for Consul General Kamo. They include the
Japanese Companies Association, the Asian
American Chamber of Commerce, the RK Group,
Southwest Research, the Port of San Antonio, and
Marriott. All of the presidents of the colleges
have been invited, Mrs. Shirane will be
attending, and Henry Cisneros may be the keynote
speaker. There is enough money to invite around
180 to 185 people. JASSA members will be invited
after all of the dignitaries have responded.
This event will show the connection between
JASSA and local corporations. The new president
of Toyota Mr. Fukuda, who will also be the head
of the Japanese Companies Association, may
attend. JASSA needs to create and send out
invoices to the corporations for this event. All
of the JASSA corporate members have been
invited.
There will be various gifts for Consul
General Kamo. He will be made an honorary Texas
citizen and an honorary citizen of San Antonio.
Everyone who has sponsored a table will be able
to personally present a gift. Each corporation
gets to present one gift and have 1 person
seated at the head table. Tom suggested Consul
General Kamo be made an honorary shogun of JASSA.
Hiroko suggested a gift representative of Texas,
perhaps a set of longhorns.
JASSA’s responsibility for the JOI
coordinator is lodging. Rosemary will see if
lodging is available at Incarnate Word.
JASSA is looking for new office space. Radius
won’t work; they only have part-time space
available. The International Center does not
have space at this time, and there is nothing at
the Asian American Chamber of Commerce. Mike has
talked to 2 commercial realtors. The RK Group
just opened downtown offices; Rosemary will
check the area. The current office is costing
$430 per month. The Nonprofit Resource Center
might have suggestions, and we could check with
the Manticore Society (German) which has a house
in King William. Rosemary has a friend with a
nonprofit website that can be checked. Mike
suggested sending an email to members for ideas.
He will draft it and send it to Nobuko.
Hiroko asked that everyone please answer her
emails.
Currently, JASSA’s general liability annual
premium is $500. Coverage through NAJAS would
only be $250. The due date for application is
this Friday. The board members voted to change
the insurance to NAJAS. Their insurance will
begin August 1st, and the current insurance will
end in October.
Mike and Hiroko get email from NAJAS. Hiroko
will forward them to board members.
JASSA wishes to thank the Japanese Companies
Association and Toyota for sponsoring Gold
Tables at the dinner for Consul General Kamo.
Toni said attendance at Kumamoto En was low
because there was no publicity. Mike suggested
this would be changed by our JOI coordinator.
Toni said JASSA needs its own amplifiers and
pop-up tents for events. It was suggested that
the storage area be inventoried when things are
taken out for the Folklife Festival. Toni would
like the basic program for Matsuri to be in
place by June.
The airport was contacted about JASSA having
a display, but they said there was too much
construction to consider it right now.
Rosemary sent a thank-you note to Dave Henkin,
who went to pick up a projector for our general
meeting at the Girl Scouts.
Two board members must be elected to serve on
the Election Committee. Hiroko told first-year
board members not to volunteer, since election
committee members cannot serve on the board next
year. The committee finds nominees for next
year’s officers, handles the mail-in ballots and
the election. Board members cannot serve more
than 2 years in the same position. Norio and Dr.
Shimizu were approved as members of the Election
Committee.
A corporate membership was sent to Sysco.
NAJAS announced the passing of their member
Jim Abegglen.
Austin is sponsoring a haiku contest in
August. All non-profits have been invited to
participate, and create haiku about non-profit
activities. Mike would like JASSA to be a
co-sponsor, or perhaps provide a judge for the
contest.
Rosemary received tickets from Dr. Lien and
Mr. Lu of the UTSA business school for the Hon-Wa
Dance Troupe performance. She cannot attend, so
Robert and Hiroko will be using her tickets.
Rosemary handed out Fiesta medals, and Toni
suggested we have JASSA pins, and later Fiesta
medals. The meeting ended at 7:35.
Board Meeting Feb
5, 2007
Attendees:
Rosemary Kowalski, Mike Nishimuta, Mitsu
Yamazaki, Ava Perrill, Vivian Seki, Katsushi
Okamura, Hiroko Fay, James Opper, Nobuko
Utterback, Toni Gustafson, Robert Langston,
Janet Powell, Ikuko Groesbeck
Rosemary complemented Mike
on the calendar on the website. He mentioned
that the online calendar on the website could be
updated by anyone.
Rosemary asked if everyone
at the meeting was a voting member. Hiroko said
she and Katsushi were not.
Rosemary said she would be
attempting to keep the meeting to one hour, as
all of the other meetings she attends are able
to move that quickly.
Katsushi presented the 06
financial statement. The Dec 31st ending
balance was $36, 682. The beginning balance at
the first of the year had been $23, 780.
Rosemary remembers the balance about 4 years ago
was around $9,000. Since we had so much income,
we must file Form 990EZ. Janet is a CPA, and
has offered to complete the form for free (the
usual price would be about $700). Janet will be
the head of the telephone committee.
Mike said that there is a
link to the newsletter on the website.
Minutes from the November
28th board meeting were presented by Vivian. We
did not take the time to read them at the
meeting. Anyone with questions, comments, or
corrections was asked to email them.
Rosemary would like to
discuss board member responsibilities at a
future meeting. Since the group is becoming so
large, we should have groups working on
projects, and the leader of the project should
report on it. Hiroko asked everyone to be sure
to read their responsibilities in the bylaws.
Toni said there were not a lot of details on
responsibilities in the bylaws.
Matsuri: Toni talked to
Barbara Saitan, program manager at the library,
to discuss changing the date to avoid conflict
with Hispanic Heritage events. A little later,
but before Halloween, would be best. Toni
suggested Saturday, Oct 20th, with Oct 27th as
the alternate date.
Radius: Toni met with
Elizabeth. JASSA was sponsored last year, but
will be able to participate as ourselves this
year. They’re discussing a date in September,
but want to avoid Yom Kippur on the 22nd, or
Diez y Seis. Friday the 28th is a possibility;
her 2nd choice is the 7th (Labor Day weekend).
The program was small and put together quickly
last year. Toni would like to expand the
program for this year.
The 90th anniversary
celebration in April: reservations must be sent
in by the end of February. Attendance cost is
$250. Dr. Ishimora, a retired doctor in Tokyo
and JASSA member, might be able to attend for us
if no U.S. members can go. Mitsu is going to
Tokyo on a business recruitment trip ending
April 22nd, and might be able to stay over.
J-link: This is a social
networking platform sponsored by the National
Association of Japan America Societies. It was
discussed at the NAJAS meeting in Houston. Mike
will be keeping us updated on the program.
Texas NAJAS regional
meeting: Hiroko and Rudy attended. Rudy,
Rosemary’s intern, took notes at the meeting.
They handed out the color JASSA information page
that Hiroko created. Rosemary complemented
Hiroko on her work, and Hiroko thanked Mike for
his work on the page.
UTSA Great Conversation
program: February 27th, from 6:30 to 9:00 at the
Institute of Texan Cultures. This program is a
fundraiser for UTSA organized by Dr. Harriet
Romo. There are tables of 10 people each, with
1 VIP at each table. You sign up for the table
whose host you want to talk with. Each table
costs $1500. Rosemary suggested we purchase
seats at the table with Mrs. Shirane. JASSA
would pay $750 for five seats and Dos Cocinas
would pay $750 for four seats. Dinner is
included. James asked how this event was of
interest to JASSA. Rosemary said that Mrs.
Shirane was our number 1 booster, that San
Antonio wouldn’t have Kumamoto as a sister city
or Toyota in town without the efforts of Mrs.
Shirane. It would be a coup for us to sponsor
her table. Robert made a motion to accept
Rosemary’s plan, which was seconded by Mitsu,
and carried unanimously.
Japan Outreach Initiative (JOI):
Robert summarized this program, which would
bring us an intern from Japan for two years.
This program is only available to a 501c
organization. Our responsibilities would
include providing a supervisor, a place to work,
finding housing, and being responsible for
mileage expenses after a certain limit is
passed. Mitsu said that the interns are
responsible professionals, not students.
Rosemary said it might be possible to house the
intern at UTSA. Mitsu said that the plan was to
have the intern act as a full-time employee to
organize and expand JASSA. Mitsu was working to
fill out our application, and let everyone else
know what other materials he needed to complete
it. Rosemary thanked Robert and Mitsu for
working on this project. James moved that we
proceed with the application process, Mitsu
seconded, and the motion passed.
Bonnenkai: Robert suggested
we choose a larger venue. Sushi Zushi was
great, but we need more space. Robert would
like a firm punctuality policy. He doesn’t want
another delay in a meeting like the one we
experienced at Shinnenkai.
Asian Festival: We need
volunteers to inventory the materials in the
warehouse. We need volunteers at RK on Friday
to chop vegetables. The festival would like
people in traditional costumes for the beginning
parade. Michiko, Hiroko, and Katsushi have done
a lot of the work for the festival. Toni said
they wanted very splashy decorations this year.
Toni is performing.
Robert would like to create
a calendar of not only events, but what needs to
be done for each event. There’s no compilation
of these jobs, because everyone only knows
their own part. Mitsu said we could add
information to the on-line calendar.
The Southwest School of Art
will be having an event on Akihiko Izukura. He
was a weaver known for creating without waste,
by folding fabric rather than cutting it.
There will be a concert by
Duo Sakyo at OLLU and at SAMA. Volunteers are
needed to usher at the Duo Sakyo concert at OLLU.
Don Olsen will be creating ikebana for the
event. OLLU has no budget, so they cannot pay
Don. Hiroko suggested he create two, one for
inside and one for outside, for a one-time cost
of $150. Toni suggested we do so. Mitsu
suggested we email our corporate members about
sponsoring this event. Admission to the concert
is free. Toni motioned that we make the $150
contribution, James seconded, and the motion was
passed. Mike mentioned that we need to thank
Don for his work.
Rosemary suggested the
following dates for board meetings: March 14th,
July 11th, and October 10th.
Mike said SAMA and SA Parks
want to post information on their events on our
website, and he said that was no problem. We
can promote the restoration of the tea gardens
there, and include a link to their website.
We’d need to contact Bonnie Conner at the Parks
Foundation.
Mike said the Japanese
Companies Association will be holding their golf
tournament in June. Mitsu didn’t think the date
had been set yet.
Asian-American Chamber of
Commerce dues of $50 have been paid.
Mitsu talked about the
Japanese Companies Association meeting. He
arrived late because he’d been at the meeting
with Maria Domoto about JOI. They had a
friendly golf tournament a few weeks ago, which
was a great success. These tournaments are
fundraisers for the Saturday school. Mitsu
suggested we might try to help them when we have
a coordinator. They’ll hold a farewell
tournament in either March or April for a member
who is leaving. The annual tournament will be
in June. Hiroko mentioned that JASSA could also
do golf tournaments as fundraisers. Jack
Parker, the owner of Tapatio Springs, has
offered to host the event, and wishes to
participate in the planning.
JASSA received a thank you
note from Mrs. Cisneros. A sympathy card had
been sent by the board after her mother’s
death.
Rosemary was amazed that we
had finished our business in an hour and 20
minutes.
Hiroko would like the board
to approve the purchase of 3 easels ($80 at
Office Max) to use at various events. She has
one at home that has lasted for 10 years.
Rosemary said she could get them wholesale.
Hiroko prefers metal easels with adjustable
legs. She said the foldable ones are much
easier to transport to events. Robert moved to
buy the easels, Ikuko seconded, and the motion
carried.
Mitsu volunteered to
respond to a letter Rosemary had received from a
man volunteering to work for JASSA.
The meeting was adjourned.
2007
Shinnenkai Luncheon, Sunday, January 7, 2007.
There was a delay in beginning the program
because of traffic congestion. The program was
opened at 1:25 by Robert Langston, who
introduced 2007 President Rosemary Kowalski.
Rosemary welcomed the guests, and thanked Norio
and other past officers for their work for
JASSA. She expressed the desire for JASSA to
find more corporate members, saying that an
important part of the effort would be making
sure corporations were able to benefit from
their membership. More corporate members would
help us to sponsor events. Rosemary announced
that Angie Hwang was the new coordinator for
Asian-Pacific Initiatives at Incarnate Word. She
said that we had been contacted concerning the
Japan Outreach Initiative, and would be seeking
more information. She also announced that
Consul-General Kamo from Houston had accepted an
honorary membership in JASSA. Rosemary announced
that Port SA has joined as a corporate member,
thanks to the efforts of Max Navarro. She also
thanked Michael and Mike Nishimuta for their
wonderful work on the website and newsletter.
She announced a Shinnenkai at Artpace on January
16th to honor the artist-in-residence. Some
members plan to attend the regional meeting of
Japan America Societies on January 27th. Since
JASSA is unable to pay for the trip at this
time, the members attending will pay their own
way. Martha Blackwelder will be speaking today
about an upcoming exhibit at SAMA. There will be
a large meeting in Philadelphia in June for all
Japan America Societies, and Rosemary will be
attending. We received this information as a
member of the National Association of Japan
America Societies. Since we have no paid staff,
dues were only $500. The best way to contact
Rosemary is to leave a phone message, rather
than email.
Michael Rosales, a member of the San Antonio
International Affairs Department, spoke about
his work with Kumamoto City. He also said they
were working on a television program that would
appear on TV 21. This year is the 400th
anniversary of Kumamoto Castle.
Robert Langston introduced the 2007 board
members and committee chairs.
Martha Blackwelder, curator of the Asian wing
at SAMA, talked about the 2007 events at the
museum. She mentioned a French Impressionist
exhibit that was closing today, and gave out 12
free passes for the exhibit. She announced the
upcoming exhibit “The Genius of Shibata Zeshin”,
which would run from February 17th to May 6th.
She handed out brochures regarding the exhibit.
Mitsu announced the first event of the year
for the Alamo-Asian Chamber of Commerce. It will
be held on January 24th at 6 pm on the 3rd floor
of the International Conference Center at
Incarnate Word. There will be free refreshments,
music, and many networking opportunities. There
is a brochure at the registration desk, and
everyone is welcome.
Martha Blackwelder presented a slide show
about the Asian wing and upcoming exhibit. She
will plan a tour for JASSA in the spring.
Rosemary was one of the 20 people in San Antonio
who were asked to choose their favorite art
piece, and she chose the samurai armor in the
Asian wing. It was great to have an Asian
choice, because most of the other choices were
from Latin America. The Asian wing has objects
from the Jomon period to present-day. There are
many objects in storage, so the exhibits are
changed out twice a year. The upcoming exhibit
on Zeshin will include 54 of his works, which
come from the largest privately-held collection
of his works in this country. He is more
well-known in Europe than in the US. At age 11,
he was sent to train with a lacquer artist. At
age 16, he was sent to train with a painter. The
strict sumptuary laws of his time forbad the use
of gold and silver in lacquer work, so he began
to incorporate charcoal dust and copper dust to
work with new materials and textures. He created
lacquer which looked like rosewood and pewter.
The wave pattern had been lost for 200 years,
and Zeshin recreated it. He was the first
lacquer artist to become an Imperial Household
Artist. During the Zeshin exhibit, the Japanese
gallery will focus on the works of teachers,
students, and colleagues of Zeshin. On January
17th at 2:00, there will be a lecture on Zeshin
by Joe Early, an expert on Zeshin. On March
27th, there will be a lecture on Zeshin and
haiku. 12:00 to 4:00 on February 25th will be a
Family Art Day. On March 4th at 2 pm there will
be a concert of traditional Japanese music. The
museum also hosts ikebana classes with Don
Olson. On April 10th, there will be a showing of
the movie The Last Samurai and a tea ceremony. A
new Asian catalog will be available at the gift
shop.
Robert Langston introduced new members and
announced the 2007 scheduled events for JASSA.
He then introduced the piano music by Nobuko and
her students. Yasuko is a JASSA member, and
played Polka Dots and Moonbeams by Van Heusen.
Kaori Matsunari is from Kumamoto, and spends two
to three months in San Antonio each year
studying with Nobuko. She is a professional jazz
pianist in Kumamoto. She played Cole Porter’s
Night and Day. Nobuko played Elton John’s Your
Song.
After the impressive piano music, everyone
went through the buffet line, and enjoyed the
wonderful food brought by the members. After
eating, Robert announced that Rosemary had
brought 30 Japanese gifts as door prizes. After
the door prizes were handed out, Robert closed
the meeting.
JASSA BOARD MEETING, Wednesday,
November 28, 2006
at RK Group Conference Room 6:00pm
JASSA BOARD MEETING, Wednesday, August 23, 2006
at RK Group Conference Room 6:30pm
Present: Toni Gustafson, Don Olsen,
Katsushi Okamura, Max Navarro, Rosemary
Kowalski, Norio Seki, Vivian Seki, James Opper,
Mike Nishimuta, Katsu Shimizu
Norio Seki opens meeting. He thanks Hiroko
Fay and Safeguard for a great membership
directory this year. Lots of new corporate
members.
1. Minutes of Previous Meeting. Vivian
Seki reports that the Minutes of the meeting
from previous Board meeting were sent and
approved.
2. Treasurer's Report. Katsushi
Okamura reports that the financial report was
sent by mail. Board had no questions.
3. Folklife Festival. Katsushi Okamura
reports on the Folklife festival. Norio thanks
all the volunteers. Katsushi reports 20% more
sales this year, $6,000 gross, $1500 spent on
food, license $1400, Institute took 25% which is
$1130, net profit is $2,000. Rosemary asks if
anyone has suggestion about recruiting more
volunteers for next year. Don Olsen remarks its
a lot of work but lots of good exposure.
Everyone agrees about about need for more help
on clean up crew. Rosemary suggests hiring a
clean up crew for next year. Norio suggests
recruit more volunteers for clean up. Katsushi
reminds everyone that major clean up is on
Mondays and that's the reason it is difficult to
get volunteers. Rosemary remarks that cost for 5
people a few hours is a few hundred dollars. Don
suggests that this could be done in a motion for
next year. Max makes the motion to budget for a
clean up crew for next year. Mike seconds.
Motion is passed.
Toni Gustafson remarks that her presentation was
poorly coordinated with the stage performances.
4. Discussion of allowing Corporate Member
to Board. Norio opens the discussion for the
idea of creating a Board position for new
corporate member Toyota Motor Manufacturing
Texas. He states that the reason for this
position is to include Toyota in our board. He
spoke to Henry Kawasaki and he is in agreement.
He asks the board for a vote. Max asks about
what number of board members the bylaws allow.
Don remarks that adding this board position will
require a change in the bylaws if this will be a
voting position. If not, then no changes
required. Mike Nishimuta suggests to ask the JAS
in Dallas about this since they have Toyota on
their board. Max makes a motion that a board
voting seat be made for Toyota and change the
bylaws to this effect. Position could be
corporate community representative. Norio
suggests make this effective next year. Max
suggests make one seat for corporate, have a
different member each year. Don states that this
seems more fair. Let different corporations
serve each year. Max states that we have to
decide what function this position will have.
Active vs. Honorary. Norio wants this to be
active position. Max remarks maybe this should
be a position for corporate member drive or
recruiting. Don states that because all board
seats are filled, the Bylaws will have to be
changed to add another board seat. Motion must
be made. Don also suggests that the this
corporate member could serve as membership or
business and economic committee chair. Norio
will talk to Kawasaki about serving for next
year, if he will commit. He will update board
before next board meeting.
5. Corporate Membership Night. Max
Navarro opens the discussion about the
fundraising event in October for Corporate
members. Max reports that he and Hiroko went to
SAMA to meet with the curator. SAMA is excited
about having JASSA back for the Asian festival.
This would be a new JASSA event. Already have a
keynote speaker. SAMA will allow JASSA to rent
their entrance hall area for $1500. This will be
a 2-hour simple reception with live music. Max
reports he is trying to get a sponsor to fund
this event. SAMA would like to have it on a
Tuesday or Wednesday after work hours. Toni
remarks that the Matsuri is Oct 14. Max states
he will need more time to organize, must be
latter part of October. SAMA has October 26 open
right now. Mike asks how will this event be
publicized. Max suggests create a mailing list
of suppliers and other to mail a flyer. Toni
asks what kind of attendance are we looking for.
Max thinks about 100. This event will be a JASSA
corporate night. Invitees will not have to pay,
but recruited to join JASSA. Don makes a motion
to go ahead with this fundraiser/recruitment
event. Mike seconds the motion. Board votes and
motion passed. Many suggestions are made by all
board members including recognizing corporations
with plaques or certificates.
6. Support to Japanese Tea Garden.
Norio opens the discussion about supporting
fundraising efforts for the Japanese Tea Garden.
Sme members attended a fundraiser that the Parks
Foundation organized to raise funds for the
restoration of the Japanese Tea Garden at
Brackenridge Park. Rosemary remarks that the
owner of the Water Street Oyster Bar donated 300
koi fish for the garden ponds once restored.
Norio reports that the granddaughter of the
Jingu family, Judy Jingu, has been in touch with
JASSA and wants to be a part of future events
and donate to the restoration cause. Norio
suggests donating money to the Parks Foundation
for the Japanese Tea Garden. Norio or Vivian
will contact Bonnie Conner to get an update on
the Parks Foundation efforts. Norio wants the
board to be in support of the restoration of the
garden. Mike volunteers his web abilities if
needed by the Parks Foundation.
7. Matsuri. Toni Gustafson reports on
plan for Japan Week in October. She remarks that
she not informed in advance that she was put in
charge of the festival and was not clear that
this was the role of cultural chair. She remarks
that she wishes she had more lead time to
organize. She needs information about last
year's participants, needs to find participants
for this year. Needs to know if she has a
budget, Katsushi reports that there is a budget
for Matsuri. Tim Brogan offers to help Toni to
organize. Toni says she will need resource
information. Katsushi reports budget for last
year was $500, which included stipend for
professionals and lunch for volunteers. Toni has
a concern about who gets paid and who does not.
Someone will have to help her determine this.
Norio suggests everyone help in gathering all
the info for Toni. Festival is October 14 from
11am to 4pm. Norio will try to get a business
speaker from Japan, like last year, but no
takers yet. Other events for that week may be a
movie festival, but need more press. Rosemary
asks Toni if she will do this again next year.
Toni remarks that if this is the role of
cultural chair, then yes.
8. Hiring an executive secretary for the
board and board committees. Norio reports
that Nobuko suggested that Hiroko Fay be
considered for that position since she is
already doing it on her own time and with her
own resources. Rosemary strongly suggests that
an executive secretary is necessary to take care
of day to day business, and that is most
certainly should be offered to Hiroko. Don
mentions that this is already provided for in
the bylaws if we want to hire one. Some board
members agree that around $10,000 per year, but
depending on amount of hours and expenses, etc.,
perhaps as contracted labor. Should investigate.
Don suggests that a motion be made. Mike motions
that the Norio contact the national Japanese
association to find out about how this will
affect membership dues and asks for an existing
job description for executive secretary, salary,
etc. Rosemary suggests contact Anna at the
Dallas JAS. Rosemary seconds the motion. Board
votes and motion passed. Don suggests that we
write an article explaining why this is needed
in the JASSA newsletter to keep membership
informed about our decision because this was
controversial in the past.
9. NAJA Regional Meetings. Rosemary
brings up the decision by the National
Association of Japan America Societies that
there should be regional meetings for JAS.
Rosemary has been in communication with the JAS
in Texas cities including Austin, Houston,
Dallas, Fort Worth. There is preliminary talk of
having the first regional meeting in Houston. No
date or agenda yet on that meeting. Rosemary
suggests as many board members attend as
possible, but probably at their own cost. More
on that later.
10. Newsletter. Mike reports that we need
to get out the next newsletter. Need information
from the board as to what to put in the next
newsletter. Vivian and/or Toni will send photos
to Mike. Need president's message from Norio and
information on upcoming events.
Meeting adjourns at 8:45pm.
JASSA Board
Meeting Wednesday, May 3, 2006, 6pm to 7pm
RK Group's Office 1220 E. Commerce, San Antonio,
TX 78205
Attendance: Norio Seki, Rosemary
Kowalski, Hiroko Fay, Dr. Toni Gustafson, Mark
Kent, Katsu Shimizu, Tim Brogan, Annie Brogan,
Hiro Mishima, Max Navarro, Don Olsen , Katsushi
Okamura, Bob Brackman (New Director San Antonio
botanical garden), Mike Nishimuta
Minutes of last board meeting: Vivian
Seki notes that the last board meeting minutes
were taken and posted by Mike Nishimuta on the
JASSA web site. Print outs were made available.
Max Navarro motions that the minutes be accepted
as written and that any changes be reported to
Vivian. Tim seconds. Motion is passed.
Treasurer's Report: Katsushi reports
that $1200 was raised at the Asian Festival. Max
Navarro matches the funds raised at the Asian
Festival as a donation to JASSA. With Max's
donation, the total would come to $2400.
Nominating Committee: Norio reads
Nobuko Utterback's note on nominating 2 members
from the board for the election committee. Three
current Board members, Vivian Seki, Tim Brogan
and Annie Brogan are the 2nd year
terms. Hiroko Fay explains who is eligible for
election committee. Tim said that he would serve
on Election Committee and Annie said that she
would help Tim. Max makes the motion, Mark
seconds the nomination of Tim and Annie for the
election committee. Motion passes. Tim adds that
the other 3 must be nominated from general
membership.
JASSA Office Space: Norio opens the
discussion for Office space for JASSA. Hiroko
reports her finding of office space on Josephine
Street at an art gallery, near the Josephine
Theater. Hiroko, Norio and Tim went to meet the
owner Jacqui von Hents. The space is about 500
square feet; has a common meeting area; parking
is available in the back of the building or
across the street at other businesses after
hours; two story building; also private bath and
shower; large storefront window. Space also has
alarm system including watch dogs. Rent includes
electricity and water, but rental of $1 per day
for usage of window unit air conditioner. Rent
is $430 per month. Tim comments that the space
is very artistic and funky. Max asks what kind
of lease they want so we are not locked in for a
long period. Hiroko reports 6-month lease. Max
mentions that Dr. Agnese had offered space at
UIW and that the cost was $1 per year. Hiroko
states that the offer is generous but that no
details on what space would be available to
JASSA, what access we would have, and,
additionally, JASSA may be associated as part of
UIW. Other spaces have been researched (Sunset
Station area, etc). Don asks if we would have
access at night with the dogs roaming freely at
the art space. Hiroko reports that the dogs are
only there when the owner is not there. The
owner lives on premises upstairs. Norio adds
that it is an old building. Rosemary asks about
insurance. Hiroko adds that JASSA already has
general liability that may cover us. Rosemary
asks if in the case of vandalism we would have
to replace or fix such damage. Don asks if the
art space could be compared to the college
space. No definite space was offered by UIW at
this time. Max says he is comfortable with
either decision. Norio invites board members to
see the office space. Toni was asking about
access to UIW space. Is this an issue? Max
talked to Dr. Agnese about access to it and he
mentioned parking can be a problem on the
campus. Katsushi states that if the space is in
the administration building, no parking
available anytime. If it is by the International
center, parking is no problem. Tim suggests that
it may be good to see what space UIW has
available. Mark asks what the time line is to
get a space. Hiroko has been working on it for
many months and Norio suggests we finalize
within the month. Don makes a suggestion to
create a committee to decide. Mark makes the
motion and Rosemary seconds. Rosemary suggests
that Hiroko be on the committee along with Max.
Mike Nishimuta suggests that we withdraw the
previous motion and go with renting the art
space for 6 months. Mark withdraws the motion.
Mike motions that we rent the space on Josephine
for $430 per month for 6 months. Max seconds.
Motion is voted and passed. Dr. Shimizu suggests
we keep the committee to continue the search for
a better space in the six months we rent at the
art space. Norio asks Hiroko to chair the ad hoc
committee to search for another space. Hiroko
asks Don to serve as well. Don informs board
that the owner of the art space is well known in
San Antonio. Tim adds that we have furniture in
the storage and will need someone to move it
there. Ad Hoc Committee members are Hiroko, Max,
Don and Rosemary. Rosemary or Max has the
authority to sign the lease. Max states that
Norio should sign. Don adds that the expense for
the rental space is part of the original motion
and approved by board.
Scholarship: Norio opens the next item
of JASSA college scholarship related to
university and college students. Tim asks how
many students should be recipients. Katsushi
adds that we have 31,000 in the bank account.
How much should be available for scholarship?
Norio wants a vote on what kind of scholarship
we should have and how much. Tim finds it a good
idea and adds we should publicize it. Rosemary
states that she thinks that it would be good to
publicize 3,000 to 5,000 scholarships for
students. Shimizu asks for clarification on what
is meant by students in Japanese related
programs in San Antonio colleges and
universities. Toni suggests we research what
programs are in town to compare to. Mike asks if
all the programs are language related and Hiroko
confirms yes. SAC has Japanese classes, some at
OLLU, and UIW. Hiroko states that this
encourages not only students but schools to make
strong impact. Rosemary states that we need to
give the money to the school not to the
students. Rosemary heeds the board to be careful
about who the money is given to since such an
award can also affect financial aid recipients.
You can also give money to the college endowment
to be used specifically to language programs.
Hiroko asks if a scholarship fund can be set up.
Board agrees. Max adds that a separate account
can be setup for that. We would have to create a
scholarship committee. Norio wants to research
other scholarship programs. Don suggests contact
other JAS clubs around the country to see what
kind of scholarships they give. Max adds that we
can have fundraisers specifically for it. Tim
adds how about giving a prize to Japanese speech
contest participants as part of a scholarship.
Don suggests appointing a committee to research
the scholarship Vivian, Mark and Shimizu.
Max Navarro departs early from the meeting
for another appointment.
New Business: Norio opens the next
item for discussion is for lecture on Japanese
culture at Ivy Academy at Eastside Boys and
Girls Club. Hiro Mishima received the call for
this request. The academy has students 7-12
years of age. Need someone to make a
presentation to this age group. Teacher
contacted him and the instructor really wants to
provide these poor children with cultural
diversity. This is needed on May 14th. Toni is
volunteering to do this on Saturday. Toni will
contact the school. Toni invites someone else to
come. Hiroko volunteers. Toni will find out.
Norio opens next item on JASSA P.O. box
correspondence. Norio, Hiroko and Tim now each
have a key for the mail box. Tim and Hiroko will
pick up all the correspondence from the P.O.
Box.
Norio opens next item JASSA received free
furniture from Trinity University, thanks to
Ikuko Groesbeck. Room dividers, desk, office
chairs, computer desk, and credenza. Tim adds
that this will not fit in the storage so it is a
good time for a rental space and brings up that
he has extra storage space keys. Gives one to
Katsushi and one to Mike Nishimuta. Rosemary has
the garage door remote. Tim adds that we need
access to it for Children's Day.
Norio reports on Prefectural delegation of
Osaka Fu that came to San Antonio on April 23
for two day visit. Mark reports that the Osaka
Fu came to experience Fiesta and San Antonio to
get familiar. A plaque commemorating their visit
was presented from JASSA to the representatives
at the International Center.
Events: Norio reports upcoming
remaining events for May and June:
Kumamoto-en day Children's Day is May
6th, 55 volunteers are participating. Hiroko is
providing free bento box lunches to volunteers.
On Tuesday, May 16, Temple Chai will present
a performance of the Makhelat Hashachar Japanese
Christian Chorus from Kyoto, Japan at the
Josephine Theater at 7:30 p.m. They asked for
JASSA to be a sponsor. JASSA purchased 20
tickets at $25 each for the event. Toni reports
that this is a fundraiser for the temple, and
JASSA is supporting the performance by
purchasing 20 tickets. JASSA will sell the
tickets to anyone interested to recover the
cost. If tickets don't sell, then the purchase
will be considered a donation. The temple is
asking a JASSA member to make a brief statement
at the event and a Japanese speaking person to
come help translate when the choir takes a tour.
Toni will confirm with Rabbi Silverstein. Anyone
is welcome to come with the tour group on Monday
night. Mike adds that more information about the
choir is on the web site.
General meeting at San Antonio Botanical
Garden is May 20th.
The Texas Folklife Festival begins
June 8th and ends June 11 at the Institute of
Texan Cultures. Katsushi will ask for volunteers
via email. Katsushi will provide all details.
Mark adds that some of the food items can be
donated if he knows what we need in advance.
Rosemary announces that Mark is now general
manager of the Courtyard Medical Center.
Congratulations.
Norio reports that Mr. Kawasaki called Norio
about what Mr. Tajima said regarding JASSA
membership. He personally feels that Toyota
should join. He wanted a list of the corporate
members and that was provided along with a
membership form to Louis De La Garza. Rosemary
sent this several times already, but not sure
when they will join. Norio will keep us updated.
Rosemary reports that RK Group got a contract
from Toyota for an event in August where they
will need 157 buses and offered a volunteer for
each bus. Still not sure if the event is a go.
She'll let us know.
Rosemary needs volunteers to assemble goody
bags for Japanese companies golf tournament
participants. Rosemary will let us know.
Volunteers needed either 14th or 15th of June.
Mike asks if more golfers are needed because he
would like to participate. The tournament is
June 17 at Bridge Ranch.
Norio adds that Nobuko's husband is having
surgery. Invites everyone to see her play at the
Cibolo Creek Nature Center on May 13th to cheer
her up.
Tim moves to adjourn meeting. Don informs Tim
that he is out of order and that it is not
necessary. Norio adjourns the meeting.
Meeting Minutes taken by Recording Secretary
Vivian Seki
JASSA Board Meeting,
Saturday, January 29, 2006, 10:00 am
The RK Group, 1220 E Commerce, San
Antonio, TX
Attendance
Norio Seki, Rosemary
Kowalski, Hiroko Fay, Mark Kent, Max Navarro,
Mike Nishimuta, James Opper, Michiko Tonegawa,
Richard Havel, Masato Yabe, Toni Gustafson,
Katsushi Okamura.
Norio opened the meeting,
welcoming suggestions since this is his first
meeting as President.
There needs to be seven
board members present. Today there are six.
Norio will ask the board members who are absent
if they will approve this meeting. Norio thanks
Rosemary for hosting the meeting. Mike is taking
minutes and they are also recorded on tape.
Norio passed out copies of
the previous meeting minutes. There are only two
outstanding issues. One is advertising on the
website, the other is how much money we can
receive during the year to avoid tax issues.
Max wants to address the letters that have been
sent out.
Toni joins and now there is
a quorum.
The minutes of the December
10 board meeting were approved as written. They
are published on the web site at http://jas-sa.org/minutes.htm
World Affairs Council
Dinner
We purchased a $2000 table
for the dinner for the World Affairs Council Feb
28 where Ms Shirane will be honored as Citizen
of the Year. We have $1400 leftover from last
year’s budget which can be used. There are 10
seats – Norio proposes that these people attend,
and we will alternate at future activities.
Rosemary Kowalski, Hiroko Faye, Mary Bowman,
Ikuko Grossbeck, Mike Nishimuta, Katsuhi
Okamura, Michiko Tonegawa, Tim Brogan, Don Olsen
and Norio Seki.
Asian Festival Update
Feb 4, 10 am to 5 pm. Toni
is unable to participate due to a conflict. We
are still looking for volunteers, we can use
about 20. Katsushi has coordinated with Matt to
work in the kitchen. We need about five people
to help on Friday in the kitchen. Last year we
purchased pre-chopped vegetables, but the higher
cost reduced our profit. Food sales will
continue to be priced at seven tickets.
Budget
Katsushi presented the
financial report as of December 31, 2005. We had
a good year. The ending balance was $19,994.59.
Dues income last year was $11,300.00. (Compared
to about $6000 in previous years). Other
contributions were $1425.65, and Asian Festival
and Folk Life Festival income was $434.74 and
$1,222.96, for a total income of $14,383.35.
After expenses, net income
for the year was $8,486.33.
Hiroko explained how we
raised our expected income from dues from year
to year, while still remaining conservative.
For the 2006 budget, we
propose
Total income: $10,500
Special Events and
Programs: increase from $1,950 to $2,550.
Committee Expenses: No
change ($4,300)
Gen and Admin Expense:
Increase from $3,542 to $4,992.
Discussion on storage
costs. It is a climate controlled. We need
access about 7 times a year. The annual cost is
projected to be $2,200. Rosemary will see if the
storage is available across from the RK group at
a lower cost. Max Navarro offered free storage
space, but it is located further away from the
desired location in the central area.
The telephone budget is
$1,200. We currently do not have a JASSA
telephone.
Norio asked the committee
chairmen to look at their budgets and make
revisions or recommendations. Toni asked what
the guidelines and history on expenses were.
Norio explained, for example, program budget
could be used for gifts to presenters, or
supplies.
Hiroko discussed the
budget, and said it is up to the committee chair
to set their budget and determine what they want
to do with it. If an expense is made, a receipt
does need to be provided to the treasurer. Last
year we budgeted $4,300 for comittees, but only
$884 was used, however we spent $1,734.84 on
non-budgeted items (Donation to Girl Scout
Office, Sales Tax, ITC Quilt Show Reception,
Kaizen Lecture).
Toni asked to be notified
of any events occurring that she might include
in the cultural programs.
The budget was approved as
proposed.
PayPal Payments
Mike Nishimuta proposed
using PayPal to accept membership payments and
other payments for special events such as
dinners. The only fee is a 2.9% plus 0.30 for
each transaction. There is no monthly fee, set
up fee, or minimums. The ability and convenience
of being able to submit a membership application
and pay with a credit card or debit is becoming
more common and expected of professional
organizations. The Dallas area Japan-America
Society uses a service called Auction Pay, which
has a $395 setup fee. The only disadvantage is
that PayPal is a common target of Phishing
scams, so members must be made aware to not
respond to any purported email from PayPal. If
an individual wants a PayPal account, they can
start one when they access the payment through
the JASSA website or by going directly to
https://paypal.com. The board voted to
approve adding PayPal payment options on the
website membership form.
Office for JASSA
JASSA has been in operation
for 20 years. We have never had an office.
Hiroko has looked at some costs. A typical
office is the “3003 Building” at 410/Vance
Jackson is available for $650/month, with some
furnishings. It has a reception room. A
conference room, kitchen is available at no
cost. A shared copy machine is available with a
per/copy fee. The building has about 20 offices.
It requires a one year lease.
Max and Rosemary have
talked to city officials about the possibility
of finding a space.
The office would need to be
available to the board at any time, which rules
out co-locating in a school or office building
which would be locked at 5 pm.
Max suggested a
sub-committee, and volunteered to be on it.
Rosemary suggests we go back to the Botanical
Gardens and talk to them. Max said we should
talk to the City again, perhaps the mayor. It
would be to the city’s advantage to have an
active JASSA office.
Mike asked about the Dallas
Japan-America Society. They have two full-time
employees. Max said Dallas and Houston have very
large corporate bases to fund their offices.
Mark Kent would like to be
included in these meetings.
Event and Meeting Schedule
for 2006
Norio will email because we
are running out of time.
Recognition for
Volunteer Work Hours
Hiroko spoke about
recognizing and recording the volunteer service
hours that JASSA members are performing. If we
want to apply for any grant funds, we need to be
able to document volunteer hours as “in-kind”
service. Hiroko suggested that Katsushi appoint
someone at the festival to record volunteer
hours for the Asian Festival.
UTSA visit to Japan 2006
Masato Yabe, an instructor
at UTSA in Modern Language and Literature,
reported on his efforts and a proposal for a
summer course at UTSA May 23-June 6, which would
involve travel to Nagoya, and Toyko, Japan for
up to 15 students. JASSA would be a partner in
this, providing publicity, coordination with
Kumamoto, and possible funding. Hiroko explained
the JASSA relationship to this trip. If you want
to see the proposal, contact Masato at
Masato.Yabe@utsa.edu. Norio and Masato will
coordinate further by email.
New Member Recruiting
Rosemary has sent out 200
letters to corporations, non-profits and
individuals soliciting their membership. She has
received an outstanding 10% response. She’d like
to get every University as a member. One donor
who wishes to remain anonymous gave $2000, but
does not want to be a member. Rosemary would
like the membership committee to take over her
records. Max said he needed to set a separate
time to go through these records and get a
consolidated list. Max will contact Ed Kelly,
who just left USAA, to see if we can re-contact
Barbara Gentry to ensure they understand what
JASSA is doing for the community.
World Affairs Council
Gala
Rosemary asked if there
were ladies who could dress in costume to line
the entrance for the dinner. Michiko will see if
she can find any.
Meeting adjourned.
Minutes of the
Japan America Society of San Antonio Board
Meeting
Saturday, December 10, 2005, 2pm
Taipei Chinese Restaurant, 2211 N.W. Military
Hwy, San Antonio, TX 78213
Attendance: Rosemary
Kowalski, Hiroko Fay, Nobuko Utterback, Carol
Johnson, Toni Gustafson, Mark Kent, Norio Seki,
Max Navarro, Mike Nishimuta, Vivian Seki, Zachry
Kuentz
Rosemary Kowalski opens the
meeting.
Agenda Item 1-- Minutes of
the last Board Meeting: Rosemary asks if
everyone received and read the minutes of the
last meeting from September 11. She asks if
anyone had comments or changes to the minutes.
Motion to accept the minutes as written is made
by Rosemary, everyone agrees, motion is passed.
Agenda Item 2--Financial
Reports: Rosemary informs everyone that since
Katsushi Okamura cannot attend and read the
financial report, Hiroko Fay will instead email
it to everyone to read.
Agenda Item 3--Japanese
Language Classes: Rosemary asks the board if
anyone attended any of the Japanese classes.
General response was negative. Rosemary informs
the board that she did sign up for the classes
but did not attend any. She was informed that
there were students interested in continuing the
classes but the teachers were not present at the
meeting to respond to questions. The item is
tabled for the next meeting.
Agenda Item
4--Advertisement on JASSA website: Rosemary
informs the board that Mike Nishimuta was asked
about advertising on the JASSA website such as
for job vacancies and wants to know what JASSA
policy is regarding this. Mike informs the board
that there may be companies or organizations
that want to advertise on the JASSA website,
such as companies recruiting Japanese language
speakers, or companies advertising themselves.
He investigated other JAS websites around the
state and none advertise. He informs that we
list corporate sponsors but wants the board's
opinion on whether to allow companies to
advertise their company and job vacancies
pertinent to JASSA interests. Rosemary asks if
we have received other requests for this. Toni
Gustafson and Mike both state that JASSA has
received email of job announcements. Mike states
that if the information benefits membership he
doesn't see a problem with it. Rosemary feels
that there are not enough of the board members
present to take a vote, so she asks that the
item be table until the new board meets and let
the new board decide. Mike adds if anyone has a
general opinion of this topic. Carol Johnson
states that she belongs to Dance Umbrella which
is an organization of dance groups in San
Antonio and that on their website they do post
job announcements related to dance instruction,
which is useful information for membership. Mike
states that he could create a page just for
public ads, like a bulletin board, where people
could post a notice to inform JASSA members.
Toni Gustafson states that she belongs to an
organization called Puppeteering in New York
that advertised general information from various
sources for the benefit of the membership. But
she personally felt opposed to paid
advertisements. Mike states that members could
be given the opportunity to advertise, perhaps
free to members and fee-based for non-members.
Toni reiterated that she is for members
advertising but sees letting unknowns and
nonmembers advertise could pose a problem even
though the revenue would be a plus. Rosemary
asks for Norio Seki's opinion. Norio Seki states
that as a 501c3 nonprofit organization there may
be restrictions. Mike doesn't think that is a
restriction. Norio would like to find out first.
Toni asks Norio his opinion as a business
person. He does not have an opinion until he
knows if there is a restriction. Rosemary tables
this and will be discussed at the next meeting.
Norio will find out about restrictions.
Agenda Item 5--Last
Newsletter, messages from incoming officers:
Rosemary states that she is happy that 5 of the
incoming officers are present at the meeting.
She states that the others attending are non
voting appointed chairs of various committees.
Rosemary asks Norio if he has the next year's
list of the board meetings. Norio replies that
he does not.
Agenda Item 6-- Shinnenkai:
Norio opens the discussion about when and where
to have the 2006 Shinnenkai, first of the year
party. Rosemary adds that she has that item to
discuss on her agenda. Norio states that he
discussed with Hiroko Fay the possibility of
having the Shinnenkai at the Girl Scout Office.
The general consensus of location is agreeable
with the board. Norio states that since the Girl
Scout Office has a big kitchen, it is a good
location. Toni states that it is a good central
location. Tim Brogan asks if we have a suggested
date. Rosemary asks if that needs to be decided
now. The general consensus is to lock in the
date now versus later. Rosemary asks that a few
dates be proposed and verify that the GSO is
available. Various members suggest a Sunday,
possibly January 8th. General consensus that
Sunday is a good day for many. Rosemary adds
that GSO is a very good place to use.
Suggestions for time are 1:30pm to 3:30pm or
something around that to accommodate
churchgoers. The general consensus of time is
agreeable with the board.
Other items: Rosemary's son
hosted a dinner at his ranch for the mayor of
Kumamoto and his staff and they had great time
Texas style. The mayor of Kumamoto wrote back a
very nice letter thanking everyone.
Toni Gustafson asks to
return to item 5 on the agenda regarding the
messages from the incoming officers. Rosemary
states that Hiroko usually helps with the
newsletter. Norio states that since Vivian Seki
and Hiroko work on the newsletter, Vivian will
email the officers for the messages so that
these may be posted in the next newsletter.
Rosemary announces that the
new Ferrari Center on Rampart is interested in
having the Japanese lessons taught there. A
group from JASSA will meet with them about this.
Rosemary asks that everyone
on the board thank Paul Cox as well as Tom
Willems for helping with the Kumamoto-en
reconstruction and organizing the rededication.
Rosemary will have a
meeting with Rumba, an all Spanish language
newspaper, on Monday because they want to write
about the Japanese Supplemental School.
Rosemary informs the board
about an interesting book documenting the work
of a Japanese ambassador in Lithuania who saved
40,000 Jews from the gas chambers by granting
them passports. A copy will be made available to
members who would like to read it.
Rosemary recognizes Norio
to speak about the upcoming lecture. Norio
informs the board about a lecture on Japanese
economics by Gentaro Yoshino, former chief
editor of the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, the
Japanese version of the Wall Street Journal. He
will be in San Antonio on Friday, December 16
January at International Hall at the University
of the Incarnate Word at 6:30pm. He will be
accompanied with the Japanese consul general of
Houston. He encourages all members to attend
this lecture. He informs the board that there
will be a questions and answer session at the
end of the lecture, translated by Mitsu Yamazaki
with Economic Development. Rosemary has the
program available for those who want to review
it.
Rosemary asks if any other
business is open. Mike asks if there is any
update on the national membership. Rosemary adds
that her notes indicate Jorge was to find out.
Mike notes that the minutes of the last board
meeting indicates that he was supposed
investigate membership in national Japan America
Society, but that he missed that and did not do
so. Rosemary adds he can do it for next
meeting.
Rosemary recognizes Max
Navarro. Max brings up a conversation he had
with Rosemary regarding Mr. Ed Kelly on the
board of the USAA Foundation who will be
retiring from the board at the end of the month
and he expressed an interest in helping JASSA
with funding for a permanent office. He
suggested that JASSA submit a letter asking for
an amount to fund a permanent office before he
retires. Rosemary suggests $100,000 to purchase
a permanent office. Other members suggest
smaller amounts. Norio states his concern
whether that amount will affect our filing with
the IRS. Rosemary states that we should think
big and that there is nothing wrong with that.
Max concurs. Max mentions that there may be some
buildings available from the city of San Antonio
that will be low cost and that this would
establish a relationship with the city. Norio
thinks that we should go for it and asks that
Max keep the communication going between
everyone to stay informed of the progress.
Rosemary states that the JAS office in Dallas is
nice, but very small. Toni asks where it is in
Dallas. Rosemary replies that it is not
centralized. Norio will keep in contact with Max
about it and continue researching properties for
a permanent office.
Toni suggests the board
think about something special that JASSA could
do for the 35th anniversary of the Folklife
Festival. She suggests that at the next meeting
the members discuss ideas. She suggests we plan
early for the June festival. Members express the
problems with parking. Carol suggests
Park-n-Ride. Mike says he heard that the
Institute of Texan Cultures where the festival
is held was going to close. Zachry Kuentz adds
that he heard since the festival was not
producing enough money for the Institute they
were going to have to cut down the number of
groups participating.
Rosemary states that the
Asian Festival is in February at the Institute.
Rosemary asks for
additional items. Zachry asks if any fall out
occurred as a result of a chemical spill on the
Kumamoto-en garden plaques. Rosemary states that
she was told the damage was minor and that would
be fixed.
Rosemary asks for
additional items. Norio will contact Michiko
about the Asian Festival. Nobuko asks that any
general emails be addressed to "Dear JASSA
Members" not to individuals.
Rosemary thanks the board
and adds that she has enjoyed her time as
president the past two years. Meeting is
adjourned.
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