SAN FRANCISCO – Nihonmachi Little Friends (NLF) will celebrate the agency’s 41st anniversary with a Sushi Social on Friday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m. in its Tateuchi Auditorium at the historic 1830 Sutter Street “Issei Women’s Building” in San Francisco’s Japantown.
The evening will feature a special recognition of June-ko Nakagawa and Benh Nakajo, longtime NLF supporters and co-emcees of NLF’s annual theater performance for many years. Guests will also be treated to a musical performance by the stellar trio of Anthony Brown, Mark Izu and Mas Koga, a performance by NLF children, as well as an assortment of delectable sushi prepared by Chef Masanobu “Massy” Sato and his associates.
NLF launched its current capital campaign in November 2012 to build a preschool addition to its historic 1830 Sutter St. facility that will allow both programs to be housed in the same location, a permanent home for the entire preschool program. The capital campaign has since received strong support from the community and is continuing to raise funds during construction to successfully complete the project.
“Construction has been moving along very well,” affirms NLF Executive Director Cathy Inamasu. “We expect to open the new site in early 2017, as scheduled. We are hopeful that the community will rally to help us complete our capital campaign and enable us to expand our footprint in one location, giving all of our children a new playground and classroom space to be under one roof.”
Once a single preschool with 15 children, NLF has grown into a premier childcare center with three sites, serving over 200 children annually with ages ranging from 2½ -12 years. Over 3,000 children have attended NLF since it was founded in 1975. Its award-winning Japanese bilingual and multicultural programs attract a broad range of families from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds.
“NLF is fortunate to be one of those organizations that June-ko and Benh so generously support,” said NLF Board Chair Adrienne Shiozaki-Woo. “As active and well-recognized members of the Japanese American community, they are an inspiration to others as they leave a legacy of support for, and investment in, the current and future generations of children and families who will benefit from the programs of NLF and the community.”
Suggested donation is $100 per person. To make reservations, contact NLF at (415) 922-8898 or nlfchildcare@gmail.com. All proceeds from the evening will benefit NLF’s programs and its Building Fund. This event is made possible with the support of Union Bank and Wells Fargo.