A Lasting Legacy: Nikkei Centre Events Hall Renamed The Mitsuo & Emmie Hayashi Hall
On May 6, 2023 a commemorative event was held in honour of Mitsuo and Emmie Hayashi.
A Lasting Legacy: Nikkei Centre Events Hall Renamed The Mitsuo & Emmie Hayashi Hall
Mitsuo & Emmie Hayashi
林光夫・恵美子夫妻
Nikkei Place and the Japanese Canadian community in Vancouver are grateful for the many contributions by Mitsuo and Emmie Hayashi. They leave behind a lasting legacy that will continue to inspire and enrich future generations. In their honour, Nikkei Centre’s Event Hall was renamed the Mitsuo & Emmie Hayashi Hall.
On May 6, 2023 a commemorative event was held in honour of Mitsuo and Emmie Hayashi. The couple was known for their tireless efforts to build strong relations between Canada and Japan, as well as their dedication to the Nikkei Place community since the 1990s. To honour their legacy, the Event Hall was renamed the Mitsuo and Emmie Hayashi Hall. About 50 attendees, including volunteers, Board Directors, Auxiliary, and friends, gathered to pay tribute.
L-R: Frank Kamiya, Akiko Gomyo, Kohei Maruyama, Kayoko Ihara, Herbert Ono, Ruth Roles, Karah Foster
(左より、敬称略) フランク・カミヤ、五明明子、丸山浩平、伊原香代子、ハーバート・オノ、ルース・コールズ、ケーラ後新門フォスター
Photo by Manto Artworks.
Keiko Funahashi, the Development Director of the Nikkei Place Foundation, delivered welcoming remarks, and special guest Kayoko Ihara, Mits Hayashi's niece from Japan, was in attendance.
Karah Foster, the Executive Director of NNMCC, spoke about the couple's generous contributions to the Nikkei Place community from the early days of visioning and fundraising to its opening and development as an active cultural gathering place. Upon their passing the couple left a generous legacy gift.
Consul General Maruyama paid tribute to Mitsuo and Emmie Hayashi's significant contributions to Nikkei Place and the Japanese Canadian community, including Mr. Mitsuo Hayashi’s receipt of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays by the Japanese government in 2012 for his outstanding contributions to the Japanese Canadian community and the Japanese in Canada.
Frank Kamiya, who served on the board of NNMCC with Mits and knew the couple since the beginning, spoke about their involvement with the centre and how they supported the NNMCC Auxiliary. He also highlighted Mits's role in building bridges between Nikkei Place and Japan through his business network.
Akiko Gomyo, past President of NNMCC, expressed gratitude for Mits's contributions, including his establishment of the Nikkei Community New Year's celebration, and described him as her mentor in volunteering in the community.
Ruth Coles, past President of the Nikkei Seniors Health Care and Housing Society, highlighted their support for the development of the organization through financial contributions, mentorship, and team building. She described them as dignified and respectful individuals who left an enduring legacy for the community.
The event concluded with the unveiling of the Mitsuo Emmie Hayashi Hall sign, followed by the display of exquisite Ikebana in the newly named hall. The commemorative event was a touching tribute to the Hayashi’s significant contributions and lasting legacy.
2023年5月6日、林光夫・恵美子夫妻を称える記念式典が行われました。夫妻は、カナダと日本の関係構築や、日系プレースと日系カナダ人コミュニティへの献身で知られていました。この式典では、夫妻の遺贈を称え、イベントホールが「林光夫&恵美子ホール」と改称されました。50人の参加者が集まり、日系プレース基金の船橋敬子氏が司会を務め、林夫妻の姪である伊原香代子さんが日本より特別ゲストとして出席されました。
日系文化センター・博物館の事務局長のケーラ後新門フォスター氏は、夫妻が設立初期のビジョンと資金調達から、センターの活発な文化的な集会場としての発展に至るまでの、日系プレースと日系カナダ人コミュニティへの多大な貢献について語りました。丸山浩平在バンクーバー日本国総領事は、林夫妻が日系プレースと日系カナダ人コミュニティに与えた重要な影響、特に2012年に日本政府より旭日双光章を授与したことについて言及しました。
林光夫氏とともに日系文化センター・博物館（以下、NNMCC）の理事を務め、NNMCC活動補助グループの一員であるフランク・カミヤ氏は、夫妻のグループへの貢献や、林氏がビジネスネットワークを通じて日系プレースと日本の架け橋をになったことを強調しました。
NNMCCの前理事長である五明明子氏は、林氏が日系コミュニティ・ボランティア活動のリーダーであり、林氏が設立した日系合同新年会などへの貢献に感謝の気持ちを表しました。また、日系シニアズ・ヘルスケア＆住宅協会前理事長のルース・コールズ氏は、林夫妻が財政的な貢献やメンターシップ、チームビルディングを通じて組織の発展を支援したことを強調し、夫妻を尊敬し、品格ある人物であると表現しました。
当日「林光夫&恵美子ホール」の看板の除幕式に続き、新しく名前が付けられたホールで生花ショーが開催されました。
Tom Teranishi: Paying It Forward
Tom has been a long-serving member of the Nikkei Seniors Health Care & Housing Society's board since their incorporation in 1986, and our community has been fortunate to benefit from his perspective, wit, and expertise. In this story, he shares how the pandemic has highlighted the needs of seniors, and his hopes for Nimi Nikkei Home.
Tom Teranishi: Paying It Forward
From a young age, Tom Teranishi has wanted to be able to give back and help others. Having received a lot of help himself because of his own visual impairment, he has chosen to pay that support forward throughout his life through his work and volunteerism.
Tom was born in Minto during the internment, and returned to Steveston in 1949. His first job was in grade 12, working with the Parks Board in recreation at Camp Capilano, a camp for children with downs syndrome. During university, he worked at a summer camp at Crescent Beach for underprivileged kids from the east side.
He developed an interest in social work, and became an ad hoc interpreter for Steveston Japanese seniors applying for old age pensions. He recalls that “there were no real services for the majority of Japanese speaking Issei’s” in the early 1980’s.
It was through his profession as a social worker that he met Ruth Coles, the current Nikkei Seniors Health Care & Housing Society’s Board President, and decided to join the Society’s board of directors. Tom has been a long-serving member of the board since Nikkei Senior’s incorporation in 1986, and our community has been fortunate to benefit from his perspective, wit, and expertise.
Tom says that spending a lot of time in hospitals, both as a social worker and as a patient, has given him a rather unique viewpoint, which has influenced his work with Nimi Nikkei Home.
“I try to make information on programs and services as accessible as possible because providers and resources are always changing”, he says.
Tom has volunteered his time over the years writing Nikkei Senior’s articles for The Bulletin.
Tom feels the pandemic has really highlighted the need for socialization amongst the elderly — for someone to be there to reach out to them, and see how they’re doing.
“The pandemic has pushed isolated seniors even further into isolation which brings on depression and anxiety. How the pandemic has affected seniors’ mental health issues needs to be looked at especially”, he says.
What are your hopes for Nimi Nikkei Home in the short or long term?
“My short term hopes are that Nikkei Home can begin returning to a pre-covid state, with families being able to visit, and seniors able to go out into the community again”, he says.
“In the long term, I think we need to start looking at how our culture at Nimi Nikkei Home is changing, and how we can be more inclusive of peoples of other cultures”, he says. “Another trend we will need to address is that the average age of new residents is becoming older, so we will need to adapt to having more frail residents and how to allow their time at Nikkei Home to be as comfortable as possible.”
In his down time, Tom can be found enjoying music, concerts, plays, and art clubs. He also enjoys watching and playing sports, such as blind cross country skiing, blind curling, Vancouver disabled sailing, and doing yoga.
Thank you Tom for everything you have and continue to contribute to Nikkei Seniors!