The Rafu Shimpo Foundation announced that its 16th Charity Golf Classic will be held at the exclusive South Hills Country Club in West Covina on Monday, March 30, with funds raised to be donated to several community organizations.
The beneficiaries of the tournament are the Nisei Week Foundation, the Nikkei Games, My Wish List Foundation (formerly Brandon Ito Project), the Little Tokyo Historical Society, East West Players, and Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches (A3M).
George Sugimoto, founder of KGS Electronics, continues his role as the tournament chairman for this year’s event. He and his wife Ruri are also the tournament sponsors. Harry H. Horinouchi, consul general of Japan in Los Angeles, is the honorary tournament chair.
“I am honored to continue my role as tournament chairman of the Rafu Shimpo Foundation Charity Golf Classic,” Sugimoto stated. “This event raises funds to help deserving community groups, which Ruri and I fully support. The South Hills Country Club in West Covina is an excellent venue and I anticipate a strong turnout.”
The 18-hole golf course at South Hills Country Club was designed by respected golf course architects Bill Bell Sr. and Jr. The Charity Golf Classic utilizes a “shamble” format where golfers participating in the Callaway Flight in each foursome may share the best drive from the group. Then, each golfer plays his or her own ball for the rest of hole. The Handicap Flight is straight medal play.
After the golf competition, participants will be welcomed to a golfers’ reception with appetizers and drinks. The reception coincides with the silent auction featuring the opportunity to bid on golf, food and travel packages. The event concludes with a buffet dinner, the awarding of the golf prizes, and the raffle drawing.
Tournament, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors will receive priority entry to the tournament and will be recognized with signage on the tees or greens. Sponsor recognition will also be included in The Rafu Shimpo’s special golf supplement.
For information on sponsorships or donations, contact The Rafu Shimpo via email at rafugolf@earthlink.net, or leave a message at (213) 500-7217.
The 2014 Golf Committee is composed of George Sugimoto (chair); Leroy Kawai (co-chair), The Pacific Bridge Companies; Michael Komai (co-chair), The Rafu Shimpo; Jim Matsushita (co-chair), FIA Insurance Services; Jesse James, James Real Estate Management; Judd Matsunaga, Elder Law Services of California; Gil Nishimura, Seki Nishimura & Watase LLP; Henry Ota, Attorney at Law; Bryan Takeda, Nikkei Federation; and Bobby Umemoto, Nisei Athletic Union.
About The Recipients
Nisei Week Foundation — The Nisei Week Foundation runs the annual Nisei Week Japanese Festival in Little Tokyo, the longest-running ethnic festival in the United States, which was founded in 1934. This year’s 75th festival promotes Japanese and Japanese American heritage and traditions, while bringing together the diverse communities of Southern California through arts and cultural education. For information, contact the Nisei Week Foundation at info@niseiweek.org or go to www.niseiweek.org.
Nikkei Games: Games for the Generations — The Nikkei Games encourages all ages within the Nikkei community to participate in the “Games.” With competition spread over several weeks, most of the events are held at the Pyramid at Cal State Long Beach. The games offer martial arts (judo, kendo and karate), basketball, baseball, bowling, coed softball, golf, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. The Nikkei Games follows the tradition of friendly competition, dating back to 1928 and the original “Junior Olympics” and its successor in 1952, the “Nisei Relays.” The Orange County Coordinating Council sponsors the Nikkei Games. For information, go to www.nikkeigames.org.
My Wish List Foundation (formerly the Brandon Ito Project) — The mission of the My Wish List Foundation is to deliver smiles and grant wishes for pediatric cancer patients to help enhance their lives during their time of treatment. As a pediatric cancer survivor, Brandon Ito knows first-hand the impact cancer can have on a child’s life. Consequently, the My Wish List Foundation strives to enhance their daily lives by providing hope and smiles to an otherwise anxious time in a young patient’s life. Its vision for the future is to grant wishes for pediatric cancer patients not only in the Southern California, but around the world. For more information, go to www.mywishlistfoundation.org.
East West Players — As the nation’s premier Asian American theater organization celebrating its 50th anniversary, East West Players produces artistic works and educational programs that foster dialogue exploring Asian Pacific experiences. Established in 1965, East West Players has been hailed as the nation’s leading Asian American theater troupe for its award-winning productions that blend Eastern and Western movement, costumes, language, and music. In 1998, EWP Artistic Director Tim Dang led the company’s move to the David Henry Hwang Theater, housed within the historic Union Center for the Arts in downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district. For more information, go to http://eastwestplayers.org.
Little Tokyo Historical Society — The Little Tokyo Historical Society (LTHS) focuses on researching and discovering the historical resources, stories, and connections of sites, buildings, and events related to Little Tokyo as an ethnic heritage neighborhood. LTHS was formed in 2006 by members of the Little Tokyo community to commemorate the Japanese American (Nikkei) and Japanese history and heritage through various means, such as archival collections, photos, exhibits, lectures, and workshops. For more information, go to www.littletokyohs.org.
Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches (A3M) — A3M’s mission is to improve the health and welfare of all people by providing education and assistance while facilitating prompt access to potential marrow and blood cell donors. Its goal is to serve patients in need of matching marrow donors who could potentially save their lives by coordinating donor recruitment drives to increase and diversify the Be The Match Registry. To help increase the chances of patients being able to find matches in time, A3M conducts over 500 donor recruitment drives each year in the African American, Chinese, Japanese, Hispanic, Korean, Pilipino, South Asian, Vietnamese and multiracial communities. For more information, go to www.asianmarrow.org.