Dear JASM community:

In light of the continuing disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to reach out to you to detail JASM’s response to date, as well as share some thoughts on what will be done going forward.

Thus far, we have taken the following steps to keep you safe and informed:

• We have decided to postpone all in-person events (e.g., the March 26 Corporate Roundtable). However, we remain committed to supporting our J-Quiz Level II-IV winners in their preparations for remotely participating in this year’s Japan Bowl.
• We prioritized the safety of our office staff and interns; the office is closed for all but emergency access by our Executive Director, Rio Saito, and we moved all our meetings to virtual settings. While our office remains closed, our staff and volunteers continue their work on our upcoming programming and activities.
• The JASM board held an emergency meeting last week and appointed a crisis team consisting of myself, Executive Director Rio Saito, Treasurer Yoko Torigoe, and Board member Bob Luck, in close collaboration with Program Manager Yoko Ueno. This team will move quickly as needed to address developing issues, while keeping the full Board informed.  Look for more important communications from us as we adjust and adapt to the evolving pandemic environment.

Our mission has not changed: we strive to promote mutual understanding and friendship between Japanese and US citizens and further an appreciation of cultural, educational, economic, public, and other affairs of interest to both peoples. Our goals for the next few months will be identifying and implementing new ways to connect with you, and ways for you to connect with one another. For now, find and follow JASM on any of these platforms for the latest on our activities:

JASM website 

Facebook

Instagram 

Twitter 

Lastly, as a non-profit organization, we rely heavily on you, our members, for support on many levels, including [your time] and financially. The JASM board and staff have conducted a review of our assets, and because of your generosity, we have sufficient resources to operate for the next 2-3 months. However, this pandemic introduces new difficulties for all of us, and we will need your continued support in the upcoming months to weather the storm. Late last year, we introduced an online membership management system that allows members and supporters to renew their memberships and make online donations. No need to lick stamps! If you are able, please consider helping JASM in one or more of the following ways:

• Join JASM. If you have not yet joined JASM, or your membership expired over a year ago, log in and join now!
• Renew or extend your membership. This is the fastest and easiest way to stay connected and active and ready to jump back in as soon as our in-person programming resumes!
• Invest in the JASM community with a direct donation. No donation is too small; every little bit helps!

Thank you all for your continued engagement. Please stay safe!

 Regards,                                                                                                                       Elizabeth Fehrmann                                                                                                     JASM President