The Okinawa Association of America, Inc. (OAA) in Gardena is proud to announce it was selected as a 2023 California Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi of the 66th District.

In partnership with the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits), more than 100 organizations this year alone have been honored by state legislatures for their outstanding contributions to the communities they serve. The program culminated with a celebratory luncheon at the California State Capitol on June 7 (declared as 2023’s California Nonprofits Day), which was attended by OAA President Edward Kamiya and Executive Director Yuko Yamauchi.

OAA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to promote Okinawan culture and to contribute to local and international cultural exchanges. It was formed by Okinawan immigrants 114 years ago and has since grown into a multigenerational organization that provides cultural, educational, and social programs for its members and the larger community.

Although the OAA has changed its name, structure and mission to reflect the changing times, the basic goals of yuimaaru/yiimaaru(mutual aid) and retention of Okinawan identity have remained the same.

The OAA’s in-person activities are gradually returning, but their largest annual fundraiser, the Okinawa Bazaar, has been canceled for the fourth year in a row. A smaller year-end giving campaign is being organized in its place. For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit http://oaamensore.org/fundraiser or contact the OAA office: (310) 532-1929 (leave a voicemail) or [email protected]. Direct mailings with more information have been sent to current OAA members.

In 2019, the OAA celebrated the 110th anniversary of its formation and the 20th anniversary of the OAA Center facilities in Gardena. Special activities were held, including monthly senior gatherings to combat social isolation (sponsored by Keiro), a children’s cultural summer program (supported by the Okinawan government’s Goodwill Ambassador program), and an anniversary reception with government delegates from Okinawa.

That same year, the OAA received the Frances K. Hashimoto Community Service Award from the Nisei Week Foundation and raised over $33,000 toward the reconstruction effort of Shuri Castle, a world heritage site in Okinawa that was devastated by a fire.

The OAA continued its mission during the peak years of the COVID-19 pandemic by organizing several virtual programs, including New Year’s celebrations, lectures, summer festivities, and monthly Zoom gatherings. These online activities attracted local, national, and international audiences.

For seniors, the OAA implemented a bilingual welfare call check-in project, a face mask project to sew and distribute reusable cloth masks to senior members as well as frontline healthcare workers and residents of local care facilities, and three drive-thru events for senior members to safely pick up bentō lunches and care packages.

In 2020 and 2021, a total of 20 young Okinawans were awarded the OAA’s annual high school scholarships.

In 2022, the organization provided free online information sessions leading up to the seventh Worldwide Uchinaanchu Taikai/Festival, a “homecoming” for Okinawan descendants around the world hosted every five years by the Okinawan government. With Japan slowly reopening for tourism around that time, the virtual talks explained the latest travel restrictions and safety requirements, the Taikai’s online registration process, and more.

Approximately 100 people registered through the OAA to attend the Taikai in October and six of its leaders received awards of recognition, including Distinguished Overseas Contributors, Goodwill Ambassadors, and Next Generation Representative.

2022 also saw the return of in-person activities such as the annual summer picnic and craft fair, with the New Year’s celebration, Senior Appreciation Day luncheon, and monthly karaoke club returning in 2023. Other activities like its Battle of Okinawa remembrance and monthly social gatherings adopted a “hybrid” format in order to maintain the long-distance connections made during the pandemic.

Special activities in 2023 included a hands-on saataa andaagiicooking workshop, a presentation by an Okinawan Brazilian hajichi(traditional hand tattoo) artist, and a reception for Okinawan government delegates.

For more information about the OAA and its activities, visit http://oaamensore.org or follow @oaamensore on Facebook/Instagram.

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