Dear Editor,
Spring is a busy season that brings lots of activity preparing for JACL scholarships, our annual convention and the Legacy Fund Grants program. As co-chair of the Legacy Fund Grants Committee, I encourage all JACL Chapters and Districts to consider applying for a grant this year. Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded. The online application and instructions can be accessed at https://jacl.org/legacy-fund-grants/. The deadline to submit applications is April 8.
Legacy Fund Grants have provided critical financial support to an extremely diverse range of projects.
In fact, diversity is key to the vitality of the Legacy Fund Grants program itself. Full participation from chapters and districts has fallen off in recent years, but it’s never too late to breathe new life into JACL projects at the local level.
Reflect on your chapter’s or district’s local accomplishments and then leverage those accomplishments to craft a vision for your next achievement. Where are the gaps in your community that could be filled with innovative JACL programming that puts our strategic plan into action while enriching the fabric of our local communities? Are there opportunities to engage the next generation of JACL youth to move the organization and your community to even greater heights?
Let these questions and other issues of importance to your constituents plant a seed that inspires your chapter or district to apply for a 2020 Legacy Fund Grant.
Our Issei and Nisei ancestors intended for their generous contributions to sustain JACL far into the future. It is our responsibility as their descendants to honor their sacrifices and continue their stories through the Legacy Fund Grants program that they made possible.
Please feel free to contact me at rbarton4106@comcast.net or my Co-Chair Toshi Abe at tabe@jacl.org to discuss any aspect of the Legacy Fund Grants program. Each district has also appointed a committee representative as a resource at the local level.
We know that JACL is blessed with many visionary, talented members. We look forward to receiving your Legacy Fund Grants applications this spring.
Sincerely,
Roberta Barton
Fresno, Calif.
