Japanese center
offers apt lesson

The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii had faced financial woes similar to those of the Filipino Community Center.

Following the opening of the center in Moiliili in 1987, board members were faced with a debt of more than $6 million in construction payments.

"The debt that we had early on and the demands of the debt service became overwhelming," board member Colbert Matsumoto said.

"The hope was that it was going to be paid off shortly after the opening of the center," Matsumoto said.

However, in 2002 the center's debt was at $9 million, including mortgage and unpaid property taxes. An ambitious fund-raising campaign was held. Thousands of letters were mailed seeking donations.

Thanks to the community, board members were able to clear the debt by mid-2003.

Membership has jumped since then from less than 2,000 to more than 5,000, and an array of events, exhibits and fund-raisers are held to support the center's estimated $1 million operating budget.

Matsumoto added that grass-roots support was important in the center's survival as well as the support from members. Some members were unaware that the center was suffering financially.

"The center has been much stronger than it has ever been," said Matsumoto, who was chairman of the Committee to Save the Center.

Members have learned that communication and visibility of the center are key. "There was a lot of people who had no clue about the center and had never been there. I think that changed a lot," he said.

"Transparency helps establish trust and credibility. If people don't have confidence in the internal organization and the workings of the entity, it's hard for them to be fully supportive," Matsumoto said.

At the Hawaii Okinawa Center in Waipio Gentry, meanwhile, officials are looking for a steady source of income to ensure the center's existence for future generations.

As the center quietly celebrates its 15th anniversary this month, it continues to receive steady donations and has been able to maintain its $750,000 annual operating budget.

Eighty percent of the budget is covered by annual fund-raisers and income generated by the use of the center's ballroom, while 20 percent of the budget is donated by members, said Executive Director Wayne Miyahira.

But there is a lack of sufficient funding to cover improvement projects at the center for the next 10 to 15 years, Miyahira said.

A committee was formed to look into acquiring almost two acres of land located across from the center on Ukee Street in Waipio Gentry to rent to others.

"We've been thinking about it for 15 years," Miyahira said.

An estimated 10,300 members of the Hawaii United Okinawa Association, the umbrella organization of 52 clubs statewide, is the backbone of the Hawaii Okinawa Center.

More than $9 million was raised to construct the center, which was debt-free before it opened to the public in 1990, he said.