June 11th 2023 O.A.

Little Tokyo Sparkle!

Saturday, May 20th was the “Little Tokyo Sparkle! Nancy Kikuchi Volunteer Day” at Little Tokyo.

Cleaning the streets of Little Tokyo started in the 1990s by the Little Tokyo Public Safety Association.
Steve Nagano, a Little Tokyo resident took the post as the organizer in 2016.
He has dedicated his time to volunteering for the Japanese American community and spreading the activity of Little Tokyo Sparkle! Nancy Kikuchi Volunteer Day to honor the late Nancy Kikuchi’s achievement.

This is the 6th time for “Little Tokyo Sparkle” after coming back from the pandemic.
Volunteers from local businesses and organizations participated and gathered at the JACCC Plaza.

Volunteers were divided into 12 groups to pick up trash, scrape off gum, erase graffiti, and remove stickers.

After cleaning, participants were provided with sandwiches, onigiri, snacks, drinks, and other items from sponsors.There was also a raffle to thank everyone’s hard work.