On July 14th at History Colorado Center, Sakura Foundation welcomed the nine members of the Mirai Generations Leadership Program (MGLP) Class of 2019 into the alumni fold. The day was filled with celebration and expression of what the leadership program and JA community means to these young professionals. Congratulations to the Class of 2019 on [...]
Sakura Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2019 scholarships: Sakura Foundation Community Scholarship: L to R: Stacey Shigaya, Sakura Foundation Program Director, Ayla Charness, Ralston Valley High School Tri-State/Denver Buddhist Temple / Sakura Foundation Scholarships: L to R: Anna Tsuchimoto, Castle View High School, Joe Ozaki, Sakura Foundation Board of Directors [...]
Mark Your Calendars for Sept 12th – Tickets are on sale NOW! Two letters of the alphabet. In English it means to move or proceed. In Japanese GO is the number five. Both meanings of GO are being embraced by Sakura Foundation as we mark our fifth anniversary as a nonprofit dedicated to supporting and [...]
Top Left to Right: Drew Domoto, DJ Ida Bottom Left to Right: Eddie Nozawa, Tom Migaki Drew Domoto is a fourth generation Colorado native. Growing up, Drew fondly recalls participating in karate demonstrations during Cherry Blossom Festival, participating in Chibi no Gakko (Japanese cultural school), and understanding the important role the Japanese American (JA) [...]
Top Row (L to R): Alex Kimata, Brent Sabati, Adam Estasio Middle Row (L to R): Allyson Masunaga Goto, Alyssa Noguchi, Leilani Rose, Jennifer Kimura, Emily Freeman Front Row: Adam Lisbon Just three years ago, Sakura Foundation launched what has become its signature program: the Mirai Generations Leadership Program(MGLP). Mirai means “future” in Japanese. The MGLP encourages participants [...]
Top Left to Right: Ron Abo, Derek Okubo Bottom Left to Right: Kenzo Kawanabe, Joni Sakaguchi Ron Abo Ron Abo finds being a member of the Sakura Foundation board rewarding because of his 45-year history of being involved in the evolution of Tri-State/Denver Buddhist Temple and Sakura Square. In the early 1970’s, the Denver Urban [...]
Image courtesy Robischon Gallery. Here are the people in the photo (Left to right): Joni Sakaguchi and DJ Ida (Sakura Foundation board members), Barbara Takenaga, Gary Yamashita (Sakura Foundation Executive Director), Stacey Shigaya (Sakura Foundation Program Director) and Jennifer Doran (Owner and Director, Robischon Gallery). In celebration of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, [...]
For nearly half a century, Sakura Square has been the home of Denver's Cherry Blossom Festival, which is the largest outdoor Japanese and Japanese American (JA) festival in the region. This year the 47th Cherry Blossom Festival will be held on the weekend of June 22nd and 23rd. It is an annual summer celebration that [...]
Gary M. Yamashita, Executive Director As Executive Director of Sakura Foundation, Gary oversees the mission of the nonprofit to promote Japanese heritage and culture through programs, grants and scholarships in the community. He is also CEO of Sakura Square LLC, responsible for overseeing the operations, strategic planning and leadership of the organization. Additionally, he serves [...]
The Sakura Foundation Grant Program supported Japan America Society of Colorado’s Annual Kite Festival. Sakura Foundation’s Community Grant Program has been proudly supporting the Japanese, Japanese American and Asian American communities to offer meaningful programming, event and activities which take place within the State of Colorado. Past recipients of Sakura Foundation grants are Japanese [...]
