LAS VEGAS — The fifth annual Sansei Legacy BoLA-thon was held Aug. 10 at the Suncoast Coast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, to benefit the Budokan of Los Angeles.
Over 500 youth and adult bowlers came together to bowl, have fun and raise funding and awareness for the Budokan project.
The event coincides with the Hollywood Dodger basketball tournament, which draws thousands of youth players each year.
The Budokan of Los Angeles is slated to become a major sports and activities center in Little Tokyo, near Downtown Los Angeles. The facility, which will include a gymnasium, community room space and a roof-top garden, has the long-term goal of helping to revive Little Tokyo by bringing back younger generations to the area, providing a boost to the local economy and expanding the recreational opportunities for the area.
“We would like to thank Sansei Legacy for once again helping to support our event and making this year’s event the most successful ever,” said Alan Kosaka, chairman of the Budokan of Los Angeles. “The significance of Sansei Legacy spearheading the event for the past five years and the impact it has had on the project is enormous. The BoLAthon has been a great vehicle to raise funding and provide education to one of our key target audiences and we hope to continue this event for the long term.”
The Budokan has just completed its second year of a multi-year, $22 million capital campaign, which was launched back in August 2011. The Little Tokyo Service Center anticipates the capital campaign to run for a total of approximately three years, with an estimated ground-breaking in 2015. Completion of the facility is estimated at approximately 16 months after initiating construction.
Sansei Legacy of Southern California is a local giving circle with the mission to encourage philanthropic participation by its members to give leadership, time and financial support to Japanese American community-based organizations; to mentor and provide role models to other Sansei to encourage their participation and personal engagement in the Japanese American community; and to award periodic grants to one or more qualified Japanese American community-based organizations.
LTSC Community Development Corporation, a non-profit community-based organization, has been providing services for over 32 years to the greater Los Angeles community. Programs include but are not limited to: assistance for victims of domestic violence, support groups, child abuse and neglect outreach, emergency food and shelter assistance, affordable housing, and community redevelopment.
On the Web: www.budokanoflosangeles.com
