Our event committee worked tirelessly to bring together an evening to remember; 180 guests gathered to reconnect, rediscover, and honour community leaders for their enduring and dedicated service. Among the guests included Premier John Horgan, City of Burnaby Mayor, His Worship Mike Hurley, newly appointed Consul General Kohei Maruyama, and Deputy Consul General Masayo Tada.

Emceed by actors Hiro Kanagawa and Jennifer Spence, the program included:

• Welcome Blessing by Elder Sam George of Squamish Nation
• Live Entertainment by Jason de Couto Jazz Trio
• Silent Auction featuring spotlight sponsor Air Canada
• Welcome to Burnaby from Mayor Mike Hurley
• Dinner Service by Zen Japanese Restaurant
• Award Presentations
• Speech by Premier John Horgan
• Fund-a-Need
• 50/50 winning number drawn by Consul General Kohei Maruyama

It was an inspiring evening, that gave us the opportunity to celebrate our 2020-22 nikkei youth athletics bursary recipients Max Hamanishi, Kenji Yamamoto, and Kianna Darbyshire, and honour the following six awardees for their immense contributions to the Japanese Canadian community:

In conjunction with the award presentation to Susanne Tabata and Paul Kariya for their leadership for BC Redress, Premier Horgan spoke poignantly about historical wrongs, and the $100M Legacy Package promised to the Japanese Canadian community by his BC Government in May 2022.

The evening also came with an official announcement of the naming of Mitsuo & Emmie Hayashi Hall at Nikkei Centre:

“...It is a pleasure to officially announce the naming of this event hall in their honour through a legacy gift to the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre from the family of Mitsuo & Emmie Hayashi…Stay tuned for upcoming news on the official unveiling and honouring their legacy!”

In the room, we saw a number of generous donors raise their paddles during the fund-a-need portion of the program, and we are immensely grateful for all the support. We also wish to thank donors who contributed directly to the Robert Banno Endowment Fund. In total, the Legacy Gala raised over $105,000 for Nikkei Place! These funds support the needs of children, families, new immigrants, and seniors in the Japanese Canadian community.

Thank you to everyone for being a part of continuing the legacy!
Legacy Galaへの多大なご支援、ありがとうございました。今後ともどうぞよろしくお願い申し上げます。