Thank You for Celebrating With Us!!
Thank you to those that attended the Kansha Project 15th Anniversary celebration & reunion this past Sunday! We were so moved to be surrounded by our community as we reflected on the past achievements of the program and the impact it has had on so many.
Thank you also to our generous sponsors, silent auction donors, donors, and special guests for making the program incredibly meaningful. We are grateful for our visionaries, Bill Yoshino and Pat Harada, and to our alumni that shared their stories and projects. Special thanks to Kamehachi and their staff for hosting our event. Cheers to many more years of Kansha!
Interested in continuing to support the Kansha Project? If you would like to support the 15th anniversary and contribute towards the future of the Kansha Project, you can donate here.
We are also looking for generous donors to sponsor a participant next year!
To make the program accessible, we ask participants to contribute a sliding scale of $150 to $500. However, the true cost of one participant to attend the program each year is approximately $1500 with expenses covered by the chapter thanks to our donors. Please contact JACL Chicago Program Director Rebecca Ozaki at rebecca@jaclchicago.org to make this pledge or with any questions.
We invite you to engage with the JACL Chicago Chapter in the future!
Please see upcoming events below:
Kansha Project
Kansha Alumni Leadership Board Applications (online)
Opens October 24, 2026 | Due December 1, 2026
https://jaclchicago.org/programs/alumni-leadership-board/
Kansha Project 2027 Applications (online) Opens January 18, 2027 | Due March 1, 2027
Kansha Project 2027 Trip | June 3-6, 2027
https://jaclchicago.org/programs/kansha-project
Kansha, Too!
Kansha Too! 2027 Applications | Due July 1, 2027
(interest form is currently available on website)
Kansha, Too! Trip | October 7-10, 2027
https://jaclchicago.org/programs/kansha-too/
With gratitude,
The Kansha Alumni Leadership Board & 15th Anniversary Planning Committee
Kansha Go Go Go! 15th Anniversary Fundraiser
Sunday, October 18, 2026 1PM-4PM
Kamehachi Northbrook (1320 Shermer Rd, Northbrook IL 60062)
Join us in celebrating 15 years of Kansha at our Go Go Go Kansha! fundraiser.
Founded in 2011, the Kansha Project connects self-identified Japanese Americans, ages 18-25, from the Midwest to their identity, history, and community by engaging in an immersive educational trip to Los Angeles’ historic Little Tokyo neighborhood and Manzanar National Historic Site. In 2015, we adapted the Kansha program to serve our community members over 25 years old with Kansha, Too!
Kansha alumni, family, friends, and supporters are invited to gather for a fun afternoon with JACL Chicago cohosted with Kamehachi – Northbrook to reconnect, celebrate the community we’ve built, and support the future of the Kansha Project. We’ll also be honoring Kansha visionaries Bill Yoshino and Pat Harada for their lasting impact.
After 15 years of the Kansha Project, JACL Chicago has over 130 Kansha Project Alumni and over 75 Kansha, Too! Alumni, many of whom continue to stay connected and give back to the community. Whether you’re an alumni yourself or have been part of our community as a Kansha supporter, we hope you’ll join us for this special milestone!
All proceeds will support our chapter’s ongoing work and programs including our longest-running program, the Kansha Project.
We are delighted to celebrate the afternoon in collaboration with Kamehachi Northbrook. Our event includes a curated passing menu and buffet, open bar, silent auction of member-curated gift baskets, and a Kansha Project gallery showcase of art and projects created by our alumni over the years based on their experience on the trip.
Sponsor Our Fundraiser!
If you’d like to become a sponsor of this event, please see our sponsorship levels below. Our goal is to find at least 15 sponsors to donate $1500 as $1500 is the cost of one participant attending the program each year.
- Platinum $5,000+ (includes 8 event tickets & digital ads and displays on our programming)
- Gold $2,500 (includes 4 tickets & digital ads and displays on our programming)
- Silver $1,500 (Includes 2 tickets & digital ads and displays on our programming)
- Bronze $500 (includes 1 ticket & digital ads and displays on our programming)
Click here to submit your sponsorship contribution online!
Questions? Please contact Program Director, Rebecca J. Ozaki at rebecca@jaclchicago.org or call (773) 728-7171.