Greeting from the HAJAS President

To Heart of America Japan-America Society Members –

Well, the year 2019 is already upon us, and your Heart of America Japan-America Society Board for 2019, has been very busy planning activities and events for this year.

We already have a full calendar of events planned for 2019 including: the Japanese Language Contest on Saturday, March 2, at the Kansas City Art Institute; the Independence Sakura Festival on Sunday, April 28; our HAJAS Cherry Blossom Picnic on Saturday, April 13, at Loose Park; the Ikebana Show and Tea Event at the Loose Park Garden Center on Saturday and Sunday, April 20 and 21 (the Tea Event is only on Saturday, April 20).

Our 2019 Student Ambassadors are in the process of being chosen by Patty Woods, Student Ambassador Committee Chairperson and her committee. And, we have just heard from Kurashiki that the Kurashiki Friendship Delegation will arrive in Kansas on Wednesday, July 24. Haruko Shukla will serve as the Friendship Delegation Chairperson and will start the host family selection process with an outstanding committee.

HAJAS has just received a significant grant from the Richard J. Wood Art Curator Series, “2019 Art in the Japan-U.S. Relationship: Curators’ Perspectives”.  We are working with the Nelson-Atkins staff for this special event which will occur some time after May.

Our first of many exciting monthly meetings will be on Tuesday, February 26. Your Board looks forward to seeing you there.

Fran Lemery, 2019 HAJAS President