We asked, and you responded.
It was an unprecedented time.
COVID shut everything down, including the Centre and all the programs that help fund it.
We needed financial help to keep the lights on, but we also missed the sense of community that is at the heart of the JCCC.
Those two thoughts were at the heart of KEEP THE LANTERN LIT.
Our then-president Gary Kawaguchi came up with a crazy idea:
What if we did a community gala, where everyone participated from their living rooms?
That became KEEP THE LANTERN LIT -- a stay at home gala.
A curated Saturday night: a double bill of specially chosen Japanese movies, a bespoke bento created by Ginko Japanese Restaurant, a special sweet, and sake.
Also in the packages, gifts from our incredible sponsor, Shiseido, to round out the experience.
Would it work?
We held our breath.
Hundreds of you bought tickets!
Volunteers, including our staff and the board of directors put the packages together, and fanned out across the city from one corner to the other delivering the dinners and the Shiseido gifts.
We may not have been in the same place, but we were as together as a community in spirit.
The money raised during Keep the Lantern Lit, which also drew generous donations, kept the lights on, and helped us get through three of the most difficult years in the JCCC’s history.
But more than that, it was a reminder that the JCCC isn't just a building, or a place to take classes or attend special events;
It's a spirit. It's a community.
And in times of need, we come together.
THANK YOU!