Japanese Cultural Members of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii will kick off an ambitious fund-raising campaign this week as they try to pay off a $9 million debt that has put the future of the group's Moiliili building in jeopardy.
Center hopes to
raise $9 million
Supporters plan a campaign to get
the center back on its feetBy Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.com"Our objective is not limited to paying off the debts," said former University of Hawaii President Fujio Matsuda. "We want to put the center on a sound financial basis."
The members have formed an ad hoc group, the Committee to Save the Center, which plans a 10 a.m. news conference tomorrow at the center's 2454 S. Beretania St. headquarters to detail their effort to raise the money before the end of the year.
The group also plans to discuss how to improve the financial state of the center beyond paying off the debt.
Improvements in the center's management are needed "so we don't get in this financial situation again," said Matsuda, who is a committee member.
In late September the center's board of directors decided to sell the building to stave off foreclosure, but the decision brought protests from members.
Last month, a membership vote to approve an $11 million purchase agreement between the Japanese Cultural Center and New Hope Christian Fellowship was delayed because members failed to meet a quorum.
"There's no current transaction in place," Colbert Matsumoto, committee chairman and an executive at Island Insurance Cos., said yesterday.
Matsuda said: "The committee does not want to sell the center if they can help it. ... We're going to give it our very best shot to keep the center where it is.
"The $9 million is just the first step."
Board members agreed earlier to designate the Committee to Save the Center as the ad hoc committee to raise funds to offset the center's substantial debt by its Dec. 31 deadline.
Committee to Save the Center member and former board Chairman Walter Tagawa said the group is confident that it will reach its Dec. 31 deadline.
"We're going with a positive attitude that we cannot fail," said Tagawa. "We must do everything we can to save the center."
Since news of the center's financial troubles broke, donations between $5 and $10,000 have been mailed to the center, Tagawa said. "It's amazing."
Two subcommittees have been formed to generate financial support from the community: a major-donor committee will meet with a list of prospective donors, and a grass-roots committee will mail appeal letters to businesses, residents and major corporations statewide.
"We want to create enough interest from the Japanese community and the Japanese-at-heart to help us face this financial dilemma," said Wayne Miyao, committee member and a banking executive.
Those who have been working for the center's survival believe its existence is vital in educating future generations about the history of Japanese immigrants.
The center contains a museum with a collection of historic artifacts from Japanese immigrants, a tea ceremony room, a martial arts dojo, a banquet hall and commercial office space.