Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Award 38th Annual Yearend Celebration
Just in time for the holidays, a lovely ceremony to recognize the exemplary volunteers who have been given the Minoru Yasui award in 2014 was held Thursday at the Marriott Denver Tech Center.
A program of the Denver Foundation, the Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer award program acknowledges exceptional service from community individuals and partnerships.
The award program is in honor of civil rights advocate Minoru Yasui, who was a Japanese American lawyer from Oregon. . He was one of the few Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor who fought laws that directly targeted Japanese Americans or Japanese immigrants. His case was the first case to test the constitutionality of the curfews targeted at minority groups.
His case would make its way to the United States Supreme Court, where his conviction for breaking curfew was affirmed. After internment during most of WWII, he moved to Denver in 1944. In Denver, Yasui married and became a local leader in civic affairs, including leadership positions in the Japanese Amerian Citizens League. In 1986, his criminal conviction was overturned by the federal court.
In honor of Mr. Yasui’s incredible commitment to civil rights causes, each year awards are given out to those who set the bar higher and higher for community involement and dedication.
Those recognized this past year and the initiatives they are involved with are:
- January: Reverend Diana Flahive, co-founder of the Women’s Homeless Initiative
- February: Tanja Butler-Melone, Family Tree
- March: Meg Depriest, The Wellness Initiative
- April: Dr. Libby Whitmore, Cafe’ 180
- May: Ana Kemp, The Women’s Foundation
- June: Sharon Rouse, Denver Art Museum
- July: Ginger Case, Growing Home
- August: Deb Wells, Alzheimer’s Association Colorado
- September: Billy Brown, Denver Kids Inc.
- October: Barry Levene, Bluff Lake Nature Center
- November: Vic Sulzer, Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association
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- Jaclyn Wilmot, MYCVA chairperson, right, with her Mom Linda French
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- Rick Crandall returned this year as emcee
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- Jackie Norris, past committee chair, left, and Donna Deteau (lunch committee)
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- Bill Walters (past chair) and Ellie Greenberg (committee)
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- Honoree Debra Wells and Tim Bergman
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- Rev Diana Flahive, left, with Kristen Dutton and Liza Kirkpatrick (committee)
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- Frank Melone, left, honoree Tanja Butler-Melone and Deb Bittner
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- Donna and Barry Levene (honoree)
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- Martha Loats, left, and honoree Diana Flahive
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- Denver Deputy Mayor Cary Kennedy with January’s honoree, Reverend Diana Flahive
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- Denver Deputy Mayor Cary Kennedy with February honoree Tanja Butler-Melone
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- Denver Deputy Mayor Cary Kennedy with April honoree Dr. Libby Whitmore
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- Denver Deputy Mayor Cary Kennedy with May honoree Ana Kemp
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- Denver Deputy Mayor Cary Kennedy with June honoree Sharon Rouse
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- Denver Deputy Mayor Cary Kennedy with July honoree Ginger Case
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- Denver Deputy Mayor Cary Kennedy with August honoree Deb Wells
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- Denver Deputy Mayor Cary Kennedy with September honoree Billy Brown
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- Denver Deputy Mayor Cary Kennedy with October honoree Barry Levene
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- Denver Deputy Mayor Cary Kennedy with November honoree Vic Sulzer
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- Donna Gordon, left, Derek Okubo, honoree Deb Wells and Tina Wells
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- Bradley Gulley, left, and Erika Nelson
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- Jean Kerr (committee), left, Sherry Lundeen and Jeanne Thompson
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- Lydia Johnson, left, Sarah Braun, honoree Anahita Kemp, Jessica Jaramillo and Russell Kemp
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- Cari Wheat, left, Jules Kelty, Mike Masto and Jenny Cowen
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- Nathan Church, left, Rosemary Evetts, Michael Vaux and Alysha Burney
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- Wendy Sulzer, left, Lea Van Schaack and Susan Williams
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- Mac Mascovits, left, K.C. Groves and honoree Vic Sulzer
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- Joan Dixon, left, Lynette Windsor and Nancy Northrup
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- Honoree Sharon Rouse, left, Ron Otsuka and Honey Goldberg
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- William Funk, one of the founders of the Minoru Yasui program, with Jaclyn Wilmot and Natalie Funk
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- Phil Nash, left, Mike Giamundo, Rick Crandall and Darlene Silver
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- Dana Juniel, left, Mary Louise Lee, Tonya Cooper-Davis, Linda French
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- Debra Hindlin-King (committee) and honoree Billy Brown
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- Honoree Billy Brown with his family: wife Krista holding their daughter Macy, and his Mom Linda Brown
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- Mary Louise Lee sang some wonderful songs as tributes
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- Chairperson Jaclyn Wilmot welcomes everyone
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- Jaclyn Wilmot thanks everyone for their support
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- Marriott GM Mike Giamundo welcomes everyone
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- Derek Okubo gave the invocation
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- Christine Soto, left, chats with Jaclyn Wilmot
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- Derek Okubo, left, and ron Otsuka
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- Brenden Bailey draws a depiction of the event
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- Minoru Yasui fought long and hard for civil rights.
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- The honorees and friends before the program
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- Honorees and friends wait for the program to begin
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- Denver Deputy Mayor Cary Kennedy delivers the proclamation that made December 4 “Minoru Yasui Community Volunteers Day”
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- Cary Kennedy and Jaclyn Wilmot with Rev. Diana Flahive, January’s honoree, center
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- Cary Kennedy and Jaclyn Wilmot with Tanja Butler-Melone, February’s honoree, center
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- Cary Kennedy and Jaclyn Wilmot with Dr. Libby Whitmore, April’s honoree, center
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- Cary Kennedy and Jaclyn Wilmot and May’s honoree Ana Kemp, center
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- Cary Kennedy and Jaclyn Wilmot with June’s honoree Sharon Rouse, center
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- Cary Kennedy and Jaclyn Wilmot with Ginger Case, July’s honoree, center
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- Cary Kennedy and Jaclyn Wilmot with August honoree Deb Wells, center
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- Cary Kennedy and Jaclyn Wilmot with Billy Brown, September honoree
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- Cary Kennedy and Jaclyn Wilmot with October honoree Barry Levene
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- Cary Kennedy and Jaclyn Wilmot with November honoree Vic Sulzer
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- Honorees together
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- Event Vice-Chair Cherrelyn Napue says a few words
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- Group photo of the honorees (March’s honoree Meg Depriest could not attend)
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- Brenden Bailey with his finished art piece with the winner of it, Linda Daniel
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- Betty Salazar, who used to work for Mr. Yasui, left, with Chad Jimenez and Brenda Vasquez
