Furuya Foundation Current Projects

Zenshuji Obon Carnival
July 20-21, 2024

DONOR MATCHING OPPORTUNITY
MARCH 2021

Hello,

I hope that your 2021 has started to improve and that the this letter finds you and your family safe, healthy and doing well.

This year marks the 14th year since Furuya Sensei’s passing. The past 14 years have sped by while last year seemed to drag on for what seemed like 14 years. I think that the pandemic has effected each of us differently. Some in good ways and some in bad but everyone has experienced something. 

I know for myself, two of the greatest things that the pandemic has taught me is the importance of relationships and community. A dojo is supposed to be a community. Yes, people come there to learn the martial arts, but I think that they stay for the support and the friendships. This year really tested our community and the amount of support that people gave to the dojo from money to people coming to the year end clean up made me realize just the importance of community. Many of us gathered on Zoom while a few others braved the uncertainty of the protests and the pandemic and came to our outdoor classes. Both of which I am truly grateful for. 

The dojo has tried to assist people in maintaining their training by providing resources like our weapon borrowing program, Zoom classes, outdoor classes, videos to watch and articles to read. We felt like it was our duty to try to help people stay in shape and help them to positively occupy their minds. All of those things took a tremendous amount of time and resources.       

Our dojo has been teaching traditional Aikido and Iaido for 47 years since the dojo was founded by Furuya Sensei in 1974. The dojo has always been a traditional not-for-profit martial arts dojo and so all of the dojo’s revenue goes toward paying rent and overhead. All of the instructors are volunteers and do not get paid. The dojo is a not-for-profit dojo which is owned by the Furuya Foundation, a registered non-profit 501(c)(3) which Furuya Sensei set up prior to his passing.

Last year, many of you graciously donated to help our dojo at the beginning of the pandemic. Those funds helped our dojo and others in the community to bridge the financial gaps exposed by the pandemic. This year, we are again faced with an even greater financial burden because of the length of the pandemic and the fact that we are limited with what kind of non-contact classes we can offer. 

Luckily, a different anonymous donor was inspired by last year’s challenge and has again challenged us. This kind person will make a matching donate of $10,000.00 to our community if we can raise $10,0000.00 by March 31st. 

We hope that you will donate to our dojo so that we can make it through the pandemic. Any amount you can donate would be a tax deductible donation in the US and would greatly help us ensure that Sensei’s teachings and our dojo are available for the next generation.

 Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions about this matter, and I appreciate you considering my request. 

Thank you very much in advance for your kindness and generosity,

The Furuya Foundation

If you would like to help out:

Donate via Paypal:
furuyafoundation@gmail.com

Donate by check:
Furuya Foundation
1211 N. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

The Furuya Foundation Past Projects

The Furuya Foundation and the Aikido Center of Los Angeles regularly donate time and financial assistance to these programs:

• Zenshuji’s Obon Carnival

• Zenshuji’s Mochitsuki

• Little Tokyo Operation Sparkle

• Little Tokyo Service Center

• Little Tokyo Community Council

• Terasaki Budokan