Simone Nazzal is the Public Education Specialist for Cosumnes Fire (part of Cosumnes Community Services District), where she manages Community Risk Reduction programming aimed at promoting safety and wellness across the lifespan.
Previously, she acted as the Education and Outreach Coordinator at Del Oro Caregiver Resource Center in Sacramento, where she developed educational programs to draw awareness to caregiving issues and opportunities for informal caregivers to build community connections and sat on the statewide CRC system’s Education Committee.
A Stanford graduate, Simone serves on the Board of the Sacramento Stanford Alumni Association. In her spare time, she enjoys being an auntie (or “тетя”), acts as a Community Educator for the Alzheimer’s Association, participates in Salsa and aerobic dance, and stays active in her faith community, Midtown Church.
ACC is honored to host her interview series with authors who write about caregiving.
On Saturday, September 17, 2022, ACC Senior Services, along with community partners, hosted the ACC 50th Anniversary Ohana Walk. 750 people registered for this event, raising more than $55,000. At 8:00 am, under clear skies and cool weather, walkers young and old set out on the 2.5-mile Greenhaven Pocket Canal Parkway. The six stations along the route provided the perfect place for friends and families to reunite after being away for so long. Following the walk, ACC hosted a picnic on its main campus with food, live music, bingo, pickleball, shaved ice, face painting, and exhibit booths. A big thanks to Wayne Kurahara and the Ohana Walk Workgroup for bringing everyone together on such a perfect day!
Team Winners
Most Registered Walkers
Friends of Parkview Presbyterian Church, 43
Most Pledges and Donations
Saika Superstars, $6985
Team with Greatest Distance Walked
Fong Bee Steppers, 88.5 miles
Most Team Spirit
Sakata Superstars
Greatest Distance Walked
Keiki (8 and Under), Youth (9-12), and Teen (13-19) Age Groups Combined
The ACC History Project started last year at the urging of Gloria Imagire who wanted to document ACC’s 50-year history “before all these people are gone!” We formed a workgroup whose regular members included Gloria Imagire, Hach Yasumura, Donna Yee, Frances Lee, Jean Shiomoto, and myself. The Workgroup produced eight episodes of The ACC History Project, which were livestreamed on YouTube, Facebook, and Zoom. We also wrote several history articles for ACC News, which are posted at accsv.org/history.
Through it all, we learned that ACC’s early growth was 100% organic. No artificial ingredients, sweeteners, or preservatives. Just hard work and perseverance. A program usually started from an idea that someone had, and was willing to run with it, or a community need so obvious it could not be ignored. The people we interviewed talked about how everything ACC produced was from scratch. Year after year, through three generations of volunteers and staff, things got done.
ACC’s grassroots history is unusual. To know its history is to know its strengths, which is helpful in planning its future. In the words of Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, “Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forward.”
What follows on these pages are new testimonials and interviews for your study and enjoyment.
May O. Lee
Little did I know when I was hired as the Coordinator in 1976 by Chewy Ito, President of the then-called Japanese Community Center, that I would be part of a lasting 50-year legacy known as ACC Senior Services. Having come from the Seattle area where there was a visible and vital International District with its Chinatown, Japantown, and Filipino communities, I was at a loss trying to find something similar in Sacramento. I didn’t realize that redevelopment broke apart this community and only a semblance remained on 10th Street and parts of Broadway near the Southside Park area. Volunteering at first at JCC/ACC, I met lifetime friends like Peggy Saika, Wanda Chang Shironaka, Kathy Omachi, and, of course, Harriet Taniguchi who induced or influenced me to be part of the Asian American Movement where so many organizations evolved from ACC: Stepping Stones/Asian Pacific Community Counseling, Health for All. Upon receiving my degree in Social Work, I took over and started Asian Resources, Inc.
Hach Yasumura
I have always been active in advocacy and support for language and cultural access to health and human services. As a social worker for the Sacramento County Department of Social Welfare, I assisted our Asian and Latino Caucuses to develop a list of volunteer interpreters for our non-English/limited-English speaking clients. This was done in the early ’70s until the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors supported our efforts to have paid certified bilingual staff. We also supported the Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act which was signed into law in 1973.
Many of our established agencies were not sensitive to serving our non-English/limited-English speaking communities. We, in the Asian and Spanish-speaking communities, began to develop our community-based, nonprofit agencies in order to provide those services.
This was why I began to support having a community-based organization, Asian Community Services, which began in 1970 at the “Yellow House” on the grounds of Parkview Presbyterian Church. A group of us, members of the Asian community and many students from the local colleges, began to advocate and support language access and combat racism.
When the members of the Asian Community Services decided to disband, some of us felt it was necessary to continue. We eventually moved to George/Toshi Tambara’s rental house. Thus, we organized the Japanese Community Center of Sacramento Valley (JCC). The Board of JCC did a survey led by Leo Goto and Peggy Saika to determine the needs of the community. The survey indicated the need for senior citizen housing. The project was directed to expand its service to a broader Asian community. However, funding for senior citizen housing never materialized due to changes in federal funding. The project, led by “Chewy” Ito, Leo Goto, Earl Shiroi, and others, was then directed toward a possible Asian nursing care home. The organization changed its name from the Japanese Community Center to the Asian Community Center of Sacramento Valley.
Frances Lee
The late Chewy Ito and his friends attended the grand opening of ACC Maple Tree Village (MTV) in 2019. He was ACC’s President for 19 years and the driving force behind the Asian Community Nursing Home which opened in 1987. Chewy became a resident at MTV where the community room is named after him.
My time with ACC goes way back to 1980 when I joined the ACC Board. Since then, I have seen the amazing growth of ACC, the planning and building of our 99-bed care facility, the purchase of the Prudential building which is now the Meals on Wheels office, the purchase of Greenhaven Terrace, the purchase of the Merryhill School for the ACC offices and the building of Maple Tree Village. What a whirlwind this has been! I am so proud to have been an active part of the early years, especially my work with the volunteers at ACC Bingo and the annual Craft and Bake Sales.
Linda Revilla
During my years as Program Director, one of the things the Programs team really enjoyed doing were special events. We had legendary Lunar New Year’s luncheons with the Chung Mei Lion Dance Troupe; luncheons for Caregivers and their loved ones during National Caregiver Month; we brought Tom Ikeda from Densho, writer/filmmaker Frank Abe from Seattle, Judge C. Kobayashi, and more VIPs for our commemorations of Executive Order 9066; holiday parties with sing-alongs; concerts with Asian Pair; Open Mic nights; and one of my favorite memories, the Senior Senior Prom, where Lois and Keiji were crowned Prom Queen and King. I’ll never forget one woman who would call us up months in advance, to make sure we knew that she wanted to attend one of our holiday luncheons- she said she really looked forward to it every year. We knew that many older adults with no family often only had ACC to celebrate with. I appreciate the free reign we had to be creative and do fun and meaningful things for the community.
Jessie Lee
The beginning of anything and everything is different for everyone. It can be a project that involves a few or hundreds of people or it can be a soul-searching way of life for oneself. One thing is for sure, whether it be for a community or for oneself, there must be a sense of commitment and dedication to realize an unmet need and/or to realize a dream.
I became involved with the ACC for both reasons. When my mother got very ill in 1980, I floundered. I was lost. I had no one to turn to help me get through this difficult time. When she died in 1981, I struggled and stumbled through many stages of grief and the seeds were planted firmly in my mind. It was not right; no one should have to go through that turmoil. There was such a great unmet need for help not only for her but for me as well.
I became actively involved in ACC several years later through volunteer work. I was nominated for the Board of Directors and was later elected president. Our main focus at that time was to increase our membership and to help pay off the debt on the nursing home. But we also had our dreams of an ACC office and a community center. During those early years, we were still holding our Board meetings in a conference room at the nursing home. Our dream at that time was to find a place to call ACC home and to have a community center where people could meet for information, education, socialization, and lots of fun and games. In 1996, we started on the journey to fulfill our dream. We started the search for a physical location. Dr. Vic Okamoto and I spent many hours looking at possible locations and meetings with agents. When Vic left our organization, and as President, I appointed Wil Lee and Chewy Ito as co-chairs of the Acquisition Committee for our new home. Through the hard work and dedication of Wil and Chewy and active support from the Board of directors and the community, the grand opening of our new home at 7375 Park City Drive was held on June 22, 2002.
What began as a dream and a vision became a reality when the nursing home opened in 1987. As we continue this journey in meeting the needs of seniors and families, we must continue our dreams. Our Rides program, Meal On Wheels, Bridge to Healthy Families, Lifelong Learning and Wellness Program, and all of our programs need you. We want your dreams, your expertise, your skills, and your time to help make yours and everyone’s dreams come true. Imagine the possibilties!!!
Janet Sakata
All the ACC accomplishments are wonderful. The continuum of care provided for elders (Independent Living, Assisted Living, Care Center and Maple Tree Village) provides us with security knowing there’s a place when it is needed. One of their best programs is Rides. We sighed as the seniors eagerly unbelted before the bus stopped and then raced off through ACC doors. The joy of seeing their smiles and laughter after attending a class is the best reward!
Ray Gee
Over the past 50 years, ACC founders, leaders, management, and staff have faced what sometimes appeared to be insurmountable challenges in providing a continuum of senior services in the South Sacramento community. For the most part, those challenges were successfully overcome with the support of the community and the dedication of volunteer leaders, capable management, and devoted staff. Due primarily to the impact of COVID on all ACC operations, ACC now faces its greatest challenge ever in order to sustain its services and remain financially viable. I trust that current leaders, management, and staff will again persevere.
Raymond Lee
Asian Community Services, the precursor of ACC, presented a change in the philosophy and goals of the Asian American movement in Sacramento. We were students and young people. We all had an intense desire to serve the community but lacked an overarching goal and the means to achieve it. AT ACS, we learned that it was not enough to just help people. We learned to galvanize and empower them to determine their needs and seek solutions. Helping the people simply meant assisting the human service department in their tasks and their tasks only. The struggle never ends. The fight goes on. This is the beginning. These are the roots.
Don Morishita
For the first half of its 50-year existence, ACC was known as the operator of the highly successful nursing home. A small group of founders, led by Chewy Ito, recognized the need for a skilled nursing facility in the Asian community, and through the generosity of persons like Angelo Tsakoupolis and the hard work of volunteers, a nursing home was built in the Pocket-Greenhaven. Funds raised from bingo became the primary source of income for its operation. But the need for increased senior services was becoming apparent as the baby boomer generation was nearing its senior years. I was fortunate to be invited to join the Board of Directors in the late 1990s.
At the time, ACC consisted of the nursing home and a recently acquired building now occupied by Meals on Wheels by ACC. There was an executive director and a small staff housed in cramped quarters at the nursing home. This is where my wife, Sheri, first started volunteer work assisting office staff with their daily duties. The Board, together with the new Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Donna Yee, through many facilitated strategic planning meetings spent many hours developing the vision and strategic direction which laid the foundation for what is now ACC today: offering an array of programs including skilled nursing, assisted living, independent living, transportation, senior programs and the Meals on Wheels program. ACC was much smaller back then and I recall being part of a “working Board” since the committee structure was not yet implemented.
Board meetings regularly lasted over three hours as we poured over detailed financial reports questioned many expenditures and discussed and made decisions on almost every topic imaginable. As Board members, we and other volunteers spent several days under the supervision of Howard Harris, wielding sledgehammers and hand tools and doing the demolition work on the Park City building to ready it for the construction of staff offices and classrooms for our first senior center.
Mom-daughter duos (left to right): Judy Poon (91) and Helen Louie, Gail Tom and Ruby Tom (98), Laura Chan and Lena Fong (91), Junko Egi and Teruko Ono (99)
For many years, ACC has hosted a very active Mahjong Club. But when COVID hit, this club–like so many others–had to stop meeting to ensure everyone’s continued good health. But the ACC Mahjong Club is now back and meeting outdoors!
Mahjong has a long history. It began in China in the 19th century. In the early 20th century, it began spreading across the world. I was told that the game was originally invented by Chinese sailors who played the game on their boats while they were out at sea. The game is has a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols and is usually played in groups of four people. It is described as “a game of skill, strategy, and luck.” Watching the club members at ACC play, you can also see that it is a game that really exercises those brain cells.
At a couple of the club’s card tables, you can often find four ladies in their 90s playing along with their daughters. Watching them play you can see their skill, strategy, and luck at work and their pleasure in being there. Junko Egi shared that her mother, Teruko Ono, age 99, really enjoys club days because she has met new people which has expanded her social network and she now has folks who know the game and she can play with. Teruko only speaks Japanese, but she can play with Chinese and English-speaking club members without any problem and she loves getting out and being with other people.
Gail Tom also noted that her mother, Ruby Tom, also looks forward to coming to the club gatherings twice a week because at her mother’s age, 98, there just aren’t many folks her age to interact with anymore. Ruby also enjoys meeting new people at the club that she would not have otherwise ever met. Gail shared that her mother’s nickname is “the dictator” when it comes to playing Mahjong because “whatever she says goes even if it’s against the rules” and Ruby usually wins!
Judy Poon, 91, makes her move. “She knows this game inside out,” says her daughter, Helen Louie.
Judy Poon, age 91, is another long-time player. Helen Louie describes her mother as a cautious player but very good at her strategy. She too really looks forward to this social time and the brain stimulation involved in playing. “She is up and ready to go on Mondays and Fridays—the Mahjong days,” Helen shared.
“The Mahjong Club is one of the groups that provides an important opportunity for the large number of seniors to meet with others who also speak their language and share their cultural traditions and be able to connect,” said Dani Lee, the ACC Lifelong Learning and Wellness Program Manager. “It’s just wonderful to be able to host them back onsite again!”
The Mahjong Club meets on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9-11 am on the patio at the ACC Program Center. New members are welcomed, and prior experience is not required. There’s a beginner’s table where new players are coached in learning how to play the game.
On Thursday, September 15, President Biden hosted the United We Stand Summit at the White House to counter hate-fueled violence across the country. ACC Board Member Titus Toyama was one of several community heroes featured in videos created for this summit, highlighting the important work they do to build bridges and unify their communities. Recorded via Zoom from his home, wearing his ACC T-shirt, Titus represented ACC and the Sacramento Senior Safety Collaborative’s Senior Escort Program, a grassroots initiative developed in response to the rise in anti-Asian hate incidents since the pandemic. Titus is a founding volunteer of the program.
The Senior Escort Program (SEP) provides trained volunteers to accompany seniors on outings like walks in their neighborhood or trips to the grocery store. “I get so much out of this program,” says Jessie Lee, a SEP participant and past ACC Board President. “If it wasn’t for it, I wouldn’t be able to leave the house as much as I do. I’m able to get around, I can go shopping and things like that, but sometimes I kind of worry in case anything happens. But with an escort, I feel so safe all the time.”
SEP also gives volunteers and senior participants a way to connect with one another, build bridges across ages, backgrounds, and communities. “I think one of the most wonderful part of all this is the social part of it. Being able to connect with other human beings is wonderful. Every volunteer has been great,” adds Jessie.
“It’s a great way for me to just engage with seniors and I have learned so much from them,” says Titus. “I’ve learned about their lives and how they’ve stayed active so as I get further along in my retirement years, I’m learning lessons myself about how to stay active, and how to just enjoy life and not be constrained by being alone.”
Recently, the program has also been assisting seniors who are experiencing vision loss. The Society for the Blind provides training for SEP volunteers so they feel comfortable being sighted guides. The service has been very well-received. One participant told staff, she appreciates the opportunity to get out in the neighborhood so people are aware she lives there.
Titus’ appearance at the United We Stand Summit coincides with the formal launch of the SEP in our community. SEP has a waitlist and needs more volunteers to meet the demand. If you’d like to get involved, build bridges, and make your walks more meaningful, contact Crystal Baker at info@sacssc.org.
First, I want to thank the ACC community for your continued support this year and over the last 50 years. On a sad note, I share with the community, on September 18, Darrick Lam’s daughter, Carrissa Lam, passed away suddenly from an aneurysm. I received this news from Darrick on Sunday after the ACC Ohana Walk. Carrissa was just 24 years old and had everything to look forward to in life. All of us at ACC are grieving with the Lam family, and we offer our deepest condolences. If you would like to send a letter or card to Darrick, his wife Jackie, and their daughter Cheryn, you can send it to ACC at 7334 Park City Drive, Sacramento, CA 95831. We will forward it to the Lam family.
Darrick has taken a leave of absence, and I have assumed the role of Acting President and CEO per ACC’s Emergency Succession Plan. Both Darrick and I, are grateful to have a supportive board, staff, volunteers, and community to help us get through whatever challenges come our way. ACC is a very resilient organization as we have learned over the past 50 years, especially from the ACC History Project that Ted Fong has led.
This is a good opportunity to explain the effects of the pandemic, one is the slow filling of residents at ACC Maple Tree Village and the second is staffing challenges. Maple Tree Village hovers at around 58% occupancy and the Care Center at around 68% occupancy due to the renovation of one wing. The good news is that Greenhaven Terrace Independent Living and Assisted Living are exceeding their census projections. Along with the low census it has been very challenging to hire and retain staff in a market that has become hyper-competitive. We have addressed wage challenges throughout the year and will continue to do so. Inflation has made the problem worse for our workers who have worked so hard on the front lines of the pandemic.
Due to wear and tear on our buildings, ACC replaced the exterior siding of the ACC Care Center at a cost of $1 million and ACC Greenhaven Terrace will undergo major roof and HVAC replacement at a cost of $700,000 in 2023. These are significant repair and maintenance expenses for ACC. In addition, one wing of the Care Center has been closed due to delays in completing the renovation. This renovation will allow the Care Center to offer private and semi-private rooms for short-stay residents. I am happy to share that work on the renovation of the wing at the Care Center began on September 28th and we expect the work to be completed in four to five weeks.
Our Human Resources Department continues to work on the staffing crisis that has affected ACC and many others during the pandemic. In the meantime, the community can help ACC by referring people looking for Senior Living options to ACC. The decision to move into a senior living community is important and can take an extended period of time. Therefore, it is never too early to explore your options and we hope that you consider the continuum of services provided at ACC. We have openings in each of our communities and we encourage you and your families to reach out for more information. The most valuable resource to ACC is you, the community. We ask that you think about ACC when talking to your family, coworkers, neighbors, and friends. Our residents, patients, and participants are part of a larger ACC community that extends beyond the location where they live. We are truly a “community of caring.”
Charitable giving to ACC is at an all-time high and these donations are vital to running ACC, just like when bingo was a big revenue source for the Nursing Home now the Care Center. The Big Day of Giving and the ACC Ohana Walk are the most obvious examples, along with other donations coming in throughout the year, especially from people new to ACC. Many of them have little or no connection to the ACC Care Center, which many of our long-time donors have. They value ACC as an organization that serves older adults during their active years in addition to those that take advantage of our independent living, assisted living or skilled nursing communities. They support the services we provide to family caregivers who make the choice to care for their loved ones at home. They also value ACC as a place where the whole community connects through events, co-produced programs, and common causes.
People including myself felt immense joy and excitement at the recent Ohana Walk. We were there as one community, one family, one ohana. We gladly “competed” to give our time and money to the organization that has fostered so many friendships over the years. The great weather and the venue provided the perfect setting. In fact, we are considering developing the soccer field where the Ohana Walk picnic took place into a multi-use outdoor venue for ACC and other community activities. Some ideas floated so far include a shaded pavilion, a walking track, exercise stations, picnic tables, a playground, more pickleball courts, and a community garden. We welcome your input.
Despite the recent ups and downs with COVID and the economy, there is so much to celebrate on the 50th Anniversary of ACC Senior Services and much more to look forward to in the next 50 years.
You may be familiar with the saying “To understand someone, walk a mile in their shoes.” Well, I recently had that experience at ACC’s five-star Care Center (CC), and it gave me a renewed appreciation for the dedication and professionalism of the Care Center’s staff.
After undergoing knee replacement surgery, I spent 10 days in the Care Center’s short-term rehabilitation unit. My original plans to have my sister provide aftercare at home – which is typical for this outpatient procedure – had to be canceled due to a medical emergency that arose for her. So, rather than postpone my surgery, I inquired about the possibility of staying at ACC. Everyone I spoke with at ACC, starting with Kory Ishisaka, the CC Admissions Coordinator, was very informative and supportive. Working in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, my health plan, Kory helped to facilitate the process. She also patiently answered my many questions about the type of care that would be provided, the likely duration of my stay, and the cost of care, among other topics.
The surgery went well, after which I was transported to the Care Center. From the time I walked through the double entry doors, to the time I left 10 days later, I was impressed with the warm, competent, and caring atmosphere. Everyone made me feel welcome.Tamara Kario, the Administrator, greeted me upon my arrival, had lunch waiting for me, and introduced me to the various clinical and therapeutic staff that would constitute my care team. Staff checked frequently on how I was adjusting to my new “home,” and no request was ignored.
The day after surgery, I had a bad reaction to the pain medication that was prescribed, but the Kaiser physician who oversees all Kaiser patients placed at the Care Center provided an immediate remedy to resolve my problem. I shudder to think what might have happened if I had been rehabilitating at home. The nurses often asked how they could make me more comfortable (I had to keep my leg elevated to reduce swelling and pain). The food was tasty, and each week’s menu provided options for a light or a full-course meal, as well as a variety of Asian and Western entrees. And the in-house physical and occupational therapy, which helped immensely with my rehabilitation, was very accessible. All I had to do was walk down the hall to the therapy room for my sessions. I joked with CC staff that I was spoiled by their services and that I wouldn’t be able to function when I returned home.
Despite chairing ACC’s Care Center Committee, helping with the annual fundraiser, and receiving updates on the Care Center in board and committee meetings, staying there for 10 days gave me a perspective that I wouldn’t have gained otherwise. Instead of getting third-hand accounts, I was actually walking in the shoes of a Care Center resident. I can see why the Care Center continues to receive excellent reviews on their quality of care and compassion, and why so many people rate the Care Center as their first (and sometimes only) choice for skilled nursing care. I look forward to staying there again when I undergo surgery on my other knee – but this time in the soon-to-be renovated private rooms in Azalea Lane!
Did you know that only 0.17% of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding goes to scientific research for Asian Americans, even though Asian Americans constitute nearly 6% of the US population? It is staggering to see the lack of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander (AAPI) representation in research when so many of us have four or even five generations of family in America.
The National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) needs more Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) to enroll in the Collaborative Approach for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Research and Education (CARE) Registry to address this inequality.
The CARE Registry is specifically designed to increase AAPI participation and representation in research focused on Alzheimer’s, dementia, and caregiving. This is an opportunity for AAPIs to participate in important research that may affect you, your parents, children, and grandchildren.
If you identify as an Asian, Asian American and/or Pacific Islander, are 18+ years old, can speak and read English, Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese), Vietnamese, or Korean, and are interested in participating in potential research projects, adding your name to the CARE Registry will ensure that scientists can gather the data they need for critical research. Being in the registry indicates that you are willing to be contacted by researchers to learn about and participate in various dementia, caregiver, and health-related studies. If and when you are contacted, you are not obligated to participate and can decline at that time.
I understand if you are hesitant to participate in surveys and other forms of studies. I never liked surveys either. I see them in emails and on receipts all the time. Usually, I skip over them. It wasn’t until I started working at ACC and community programs that I got to be on the other side of the survey and see how important they can be. How do we serve the community and make sure we are providing services that people actually want without feedback? Similarly, how do healthcare providers or policymakers make sound decisions without data from the community they serve? I realize now that taking some time out of my day to contribute to a cause that makes a difference is worthwhile.
To enroll in the CARE Registry, you will need to complete a brief survey online, by phone or in person, and receive $10 as a thank you. You can go online at tinyurl.com/acc8585, call Dani Lee at (916) 393-9026, ext. 339, or simply stop by the office! We would love to help you walk through it.
