Date Confirmed for Banquet of Champions

The date for the Banquet of Champions has been set and confirmed. It will be the original date of Thursday, April 28. Because of a conflict with the Courage to Comeback banquet to be held on the same night, the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum was going to move its banquet to a different date, but because of numerous dynamics, the date is not being changed.

A message from the BCSHFM's Executive Director Dawn Donahue:

"Please be advised that the Banquet of Champions will remain on April 28th, 2005, at the Westin Bayshore Resort & Marina.

Although the Courage to Comeback Awards dinner is also April 28th, our inductees have made travel arrangements, and, our honoured guests have made scheduling arrangements for this date. We spent 1 month researching the date in November, and, there was nothing else going on at that time.

Thank you for your patience, and, apologies for any confusion. We look forward to receiving your ticket orders in the near future. Please remember, that Inductees, and Championship Package Holders are seated in the front and centre rows, then seating is arranged as the orders come in. Please get your tickets early to take advantage of the best seating in the Westin Ballroom."

Warm Regards

Dawn

Vancouver Asahi Committee Meeting Reminder

This is just a reminder to all of the Vancouver Asahi Induction committee meeting today. As a matter of convenience to compile all pertinent information in one place, I've taken liberty to create a very simple blog. It can be accessed at www.vancouverasahi.org. Anyone can comment on any of the postings, and if there is a posting you'd like to make, just let me know. Please share the web address with anyone who has interest in the Asahi so they can keep track of our activities.

A major development that is still being worked out is that the Banquet of Champions will most likely not be held on April 28 as previously decided. Because of a conflict with another banquet, a couple of other dates are being looked at.

A rough overview of the agenda will include discussion on specifics of a secondary event, making sure we're reaching all constituents, allocation of responsibilities, etc. Please let me know about specific topics you would like added to the agenda.

WHEN: Thursday, January 27 (tonight) at 5:30 p.m. for one hour.
WHERE: The boardroom at the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
DIRECTIONS: The BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is located at "GATE A" just East of the Terry Fox Plaza at B.C. Place Stadium which is at the foot of Robson at Beatty. Metered street parking is available. Please walk through the front doors of the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.
CONTACT: Any questions, please let me know, Sam Araki, at sam.araki@bcsportshalloffame.com.

Banquet of Champions Date Change Possibility

Because of a conflict with the Courage to Comeback banquet that is scheduled for April 28, the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is looking to change the date of its Banquet of Champions so as not to conflict.

Possibilities for dates include the week of April 17 or the week of May 22. If you have any preferences for either date please post your desire, or e-mail Sam at sam.araki@bcsportshalloffame.com.

Vancouver Asahi Induction Committee Minutes #1

I have attached the minutes from a great meeting we had on Thursday and I’d like to thank all who attended. I have also pasted in the contents of the attachment below. If you have any questions, suggestions or ideas, please let me know. Also, we have set the date for our next meeting, which will be Thursday, Jan. 27, at the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. There is a lot of work to do, but we’re headed on the right track.

Vancouver Asahi BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum Induction Committee Meeting
Thursday, January 13, 2005
BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum Boardroom

Present:
Sam Araki
Elmer Morishita
Timothy Savage
Rika Uto

Excused:
Mel Lehan
George Oikawa
Grace Thompson
Craig Natsuhara

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order at 5:35 p.m.

The meeting opened with brief introductions and an overview of what had already taken place.

Other topics discussed, include:

Japanese Canadian National Museum Spring Exhibition:
A firm date for the Vancouver Asahi’s exhibition hasn’t been established yet, but it will most likely coincide with the Asahi’s official induction into the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Research has been done on the exhibition and the storyline has been written. There maybe a few minor adjustments, but the bulk of the work is done. Approximately $110,000 of the $200,000 the JCNM had wanted to collect to support the exhibition has been raised.

Exhibit at the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum:
The JCNM is open to loaning artifacts or materials to the BCSHFM for an exhibit honouring the Vancouver Asahi. The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame has recently taken down a temporary display of the Vancouver Asahi, which will be returned to the JCNM.

Questions yet to be resolved: What will be exhibited, in what shape it will be furnished to the BCSHFM (loan, etc.), when it will be provided to the BCSHFM and where it will be displayed within the BCSHFM.

Other Events as Pertaining to the JC Community:
Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall is having its 100^th anniversary in 2006. Also, Rika mentioned that Oppenheimer Park as part of a community arts program had a historical walk of the area. One of the Asahi ballplayers came out to participate and it was a great event. The historical significance of the area is great and includes the Japantown, Chinatown and Strathcona areas. The Powell Street Festival is a great event that is held once a year.

Japanese translation of the Banquet of Champions:
Dawn Donahue, chair of the Banquet of Champions organizing committee, had previously committed local golf figure Brad Ewert, who is fluent in Japanese to translate portions of the Banquet of Champions. Sam hesitated in endorsing the idea, as he wanted to bring it up with the Asahi induction committee. It was unanimous to the committee that any translation of the Banquet of Champions would not be a good idea. Sam will advise the Banquet committee to not have any translation.

Secondary Event:
It was agreed by everyone present that holding a secondary event is a good idea. The premise behind holding such an event would be to have it be more inclusive with a wider part of the JC community and Vancouver community as a whole. It would also be a more interactive event with a more casual than the Banquet of Champions. Fundraising will not be a focus. The event will be held at no cost, at low cost or by donation to attendees and there was a consensus that the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum would be the best place to hold the event on the day after the Banquet of Champions. Preliminarily, it will be held Friday, April, 29, 2005 at 5-8 p.m., so that everybody that will be here for the Banquet of Champions will have an opportunity to attend. Members of the Vancouver Asahi will perhaps be part of a panel that could be posed questions, talk about their experiences, etc. The night will be kicked off by a scavenger hunt or similar activity through the BCSHFM, and could include a viewing of the Asahi film and would be for all ages. (ie: See the film, see the people, fun for all ages). The BCSHFM has already been booked for this event. Elmer’s main concern was how the event will be marketed without detracting from the marketing of the Banquet of Champions. One idea was that the two events can be marketed as a package, with special emphasis on the main event. Possible funding to support the event could come in the form of several grants. It is important to publicize closer to the event, and get it into various publications.

Questions yet to be resolved: Who will take the lead on organizing the logistics of the secondary event? How many volunteers will we need for the evening and how can we recruit them? What will be the schedule of activities during the night? How will the event be marketed, and what do we want to call this event? How will we raise money to support the event? Where will any of the excess money, if any, go?

Organizations and individuals to target with and query interest in the Asahi induction:
National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC)
GCCA
Powell Street Festival Committee
David Suzuki (Had a couple of uncles who were members of the Vancouver Asahi)
Paul Kariya? (Yes the hockey player)
If there are any other organizations or individuals you can think of, please let them know what we are doing or let Sam know. He will send a personal e-mail to gauge any possible support.

Other:
Idea was brought about a possible baseball game during the Powell Street Festival, perhaps by extending the festival to a three-day affair ... perhaps place an inviting article in the ‘Bulletin’ (contact John Greenaway) … also place an article in the Nikkei Voice …

QUICK TO DO’s:
Rika:
Will look into possible community cultural event grants from the city.

Timothy:
Contact information of Fred Yoda to Sam. Also contact information for anybody else who might be receptive to supporting the Asahi’s induction.

Elmer:
Elmer will phone all inductees to see who will be attending the Banquet of Champions and if they will be requiring accommodation.

Sam:
Send e-mails out to different organizational heads and have information disseminated to their boards, staff and constituents
Talk to John Greenaway
Will e-mail Cathy Makihara, CEO of NNMHC
Will e-mail Fred Yoda, president of National Nikkei Museum and Heritage Centre Society

Conclusion:
The next meeting will be on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2005 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:40 p.m.

Vancouver Asahi Committee Meeting Reminder

Just a reminder about the Vancouver Asahi BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum induction committee meeting this evening, followed by a little more background information from previous discussions between Elmer, George and I.

The meeting will last one hour and we will follow a set agenda. I look forward to meeting with all of you and look forward to answering all your questions. Please be advised that I know some maybe able and willing to help more than others. That is not a problem, any help would be appreciated.

WHEN: Thursday, January 13 (tonight) at 5:30 p.m. for one hour.

WHERE: The boardroom at the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

DIRECTIONS: The BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is located at "GATE A"
just East of the Terry Fox Plaza at B.C. Place Stadium which is at the foot of Robson at Beatty. Metered street parking is available. Please walk through the front doors of the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.

CONTACT: Any questions, please let me know, Sam Araki, at sam.araki@bcsportshalloffame.com or by phone at 604.720.2459.


Additional information:

The Japanese Canadian National Museum is planning to have a Vancouver Asahi exhibit and is currently in the midst of fundraising for that. The opening of the exhibit will hopefully coincide with the official induction of the Asahi into the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. As the Banquet of Champions is the main fundraising event for the BC SHFM, where various committees seek to obtain sponsorship support and community support, one of the initial concerns brought up by Elmer was that anytime spent by friends of the JCNM fundraising for the BC SHFM would conflict. It's a valid concern, and one that has brought about the discussion of holding a secondary event.

There will be, yet to be determined, Vancouver Asahi artifacts loaned to the BC SHFM for a temporary display.

Elmer has compiled a contact list of living Asahi members, possible committee members and relatives of Asahi members that he has sent to me.

We have made it a priority to identify who would be interested in being part of the Vancouver Asahi induction committee.

Honouring the Asahi is the number one goal, but paralleling that is to bring together, first the JC community, secondly friends of the JC community and thirdly to bring together the community as a whole.

Hardcopy invitations to the official banquet are being sent to all living inductees this week.

There has been discussion of the cost of the Banquet of Champions ($275), and how we can either offset the cost or obtain support to pay the cost.
There is a discount for up to two friends of living inductees ($150).

At the risk of sending too much information, I will stop here, but again, I look forward to seeing everyone there tonight!

Additional Vancouver Asahi Banquet Committee Information

As promised, I am including some background information that will hopefully help everybody to more fully understand the reasons why you’re being e-mailed and encouraged to participate as part of honouring the Vancouver Asahi’s induction into the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.

Just a reminder of the Vancouver Asahi Banquet Committee meeting:

WHEN: Thursday, January 13 (tomorrow) at 5:30 p.m. for one hour.

WHERE: The boardroom at the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

DIRECTIONS: The BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is located just East of the Terry Fox Plaza at B.C. Place Stadium which is at the foot of Robson at Beatty. Metered street parking is available.

CONTACT: Any questions, please let me know, Sam Araki, at sam.araki@bcsportshalloffame.com.

If there is any way you can attend, this would be the meeting to be at, and I would love to meet all of you.

Regards,

Sam

PS … What follows is a summary of what Elmer Morishita and I reviewed in our initial meeting and subsequent correspondence.

Purpose

There is one purpose and that is to properly recognize the official induction of the Vancouver Asahi baseball team into the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum as part of its 2005 induction class. We are looking for members to form the Vancouver Asahi BC Hall of Fame induction committee. This committee will meet on a regular basis for the next four months and shape the support for the team's official Hall of Fame induction.

How

There will be the 'Banquet of Champions' where official induction will take place at the Westin Bayshore and Marina on Thursday, April 28, 2005. Ticket price is $275 each or $2,500 for a table of 10. Inductees will receive free tickets for themselves and also one guest.

Elmer and I spoke of the high cost of the banquet and the subsequent inability of being able to include all constituents who would want to attend.

Thus, we spoke in generalities about holding a secondary event either on the day before or the day after to accommodate a wider part of the community. It would be meant to give something back to the community and let everybody enjoy in this historic occasion. We'd like to invite various parts of the community to attend including but not limited to groups such as the JCCA, Powell Street Festival Society, etc. Any profit made from sponsorship, etc., from the extra event would be split between the participating parties (just an idea).

An example of an excerpt taken from the Powell Street website:

The Powell Street Festival Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the Japanese Canadian community's arts, culture, and heritage. We also promote the understanding of Asian Canadian arts, culture and history.

Ultimately what I have in mind is bringing the whole community together through one wonderful event where we can celebrate the past achievements of the Vancouver Asahi and promote the distinct parts of our community in doing so.

The 'Banquet of Champions' serves as the key fundraiser in keeping the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum operational. But our group will seek out sponsorships for tables at the banquet (ie: if there is a free table for inductees, ideally it would be great to find a sponsor to pay for the table by becoming a table sponsor).

Other topics discussed

* The JCNM will open its Vancouver Asahi exhibit sometime in the

Spring and it would be great if the exhibits opening could coincide with the Banquet.

* Invitations will be sent via e-mail to everyone to minimize on costs, but hard copy letters will be sent to those without e-mail.

Issues yet to be resolved

Banquet

Names of those who want to attend the banquet (regardless of ability to pay, etc.), names of those who are to be targeted with invitations to attend

Secondary Event

Everything about it. Including where to hold it, who we want to target for attendance, costs, etc.

Sponsors

Who is the JCNM targeting? We will want to respect who the JCNM is targeting. Who will we target for Banquet and Secondary Event sponsorships? How much are we going to be looking for? How will we work out a mutually beneficial arrangement where the BC Sports Hall will benefit from this annual fundraiser, but will equally benefit the JCNM as well?

Committee Members

I (Sam Araki) am a part of the BC Sports Hall's 'Banquet of Champions' committee. As part of the committee I am the liaison between the Sports Hall and the Vancouver Asahi baseball team. Elmer and I have met and he has mentioned George and Grace as possible participants. Who else will be involved? We spoke of including relevant participants from across the country in this collaboration.

Conclusion

There needs to be a partnership between the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum and the Japanese Canadian National Museum. There are needs on both sides that need to be addressed more specifically, but as of now we are on the same track and in the same frame of mind. As we progress there will need to be a funneled process into specifics.a

Asahi Baseball BC Sports Hall Induction

On behalf of the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum and one of its newest inductees, I am sending you this e-mail. Most of you have expressed an interest in helping with various parts of the Vancouver Asahi's official induction at the BCSHFM's Banquet of Champions on April 28. There have also been preliminary discussions of having a secondary event, either the day before or day after the official banquet where a wider part of the community would be able to attend.

In either case, the ultimate goal is to honour the Asahi. Another goal would be to bring the Japanese Canadian community together for a common cause.

I am currently a communications advisor to the BCSHFM and invite you to be part of the Vancouver Asahi Celebration committee, along with Elmer Morishita, George Oikawa and I. We will have a meeting at the offices of the BCSHFM (B.C. Place) next Thursday, January, 13, at 5:30 p.m. The duration of the meeting will be one hour.

I thought I would send this quick notice out to everybody, to give you time to calendar it. Over the next week, I will send more information, including what has already been discussed and directions to the BCSHFM, etc.

At anytime, if you have any questions, please let me know at sam.araki@bcsportshalloffame.com.