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• 2025 Mondale Award and Scholarship Gala (In-Person)

  • When
    2025-11-15
  •  
    5:30 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    Oak Ridge Country Club, 700 Oak Ridge Rd, Hopkins, MN 55305

  We are pleased to announce that the 2025 Mondale Award and Scholarship Gala will be held in person on Saturday, November 15th at the Oak Ridge Country Club in Hopkins.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Both the Mondale Award and Mondale Scholarship will be presented at this event. The Mondale Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the building of understanding, cooperation, and respect between the people of Japan and Minnesota. The Mondale Scholarship is presented to students enrolled in Minnesota colleges and universities who want to broaden their knowledge of Japan through a combination of study and travel.

  
  

  Join us in celebrating the Mondale Award recipients and supporting Mondale Scholarship at the 28th Mondale Gala!

  
  

  

  Reception: 5:30-6:30 p.m.
  Banquet & Program: 6:30-9:00 p.m.
  Dress Code: Business Attire or Kimono
  

  Do you need Kimono dressing assistance?  Registration will be open soon. 

  
  

  Mondale Award Recipient: Joann Blatchley

  
  

  My first visit to Japan changed my life. In 2004, I received a Fulbright Memorial Fund for Teachers fellowship to spend three weeks in Japan, visiting schools, being exposed to Japanese culture, and traveling by bullet train to Hiroshima. I returned from that experience and wondered what else could I do continue my association with Japan and found the Saint Paul – Nagasaki Sister City Committee which promotes friendship between citizens of both countries. It was a perfect fit.

  
  

  One of my first ‘duties’ as an SPNSCC board member was to make arrangements for Sachiko Yasui, a hibakusha, to speak. Highlights of my tenure as board member and president of SPNSCC include the Gift of (Cherry) Trees from the government of Japan to St. Paul in 2012 and the Return of the Sword in 2013. Our 60th anniversary in 2015 included kite flyers Seikoo and Akiko Nakamura, visits by Mayor Tomihisa Taue, the Junshin singers, city officials and ten members of the Nagasaki Bridge Club. One highlight was the Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Exhibition at the Landmark Center, which also brought groups of school children to the exhibit and “Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard.” The pandemic cancelled our 65th anniversary celebration, but exchanges resumed in 2023.

  
  

  To celebrate our 70th anniversary in 2025, the Saint Paul Civic Symphony performed with their sister orchestra, the Nagasaki Symphony Orchestra. Saint Paul hosted our annual Cherry Tree Celebration, drawing some 1,000 visitors in early May. American children and youth finished the KIDS GUERNICA mural. Mayor Suzuki of Nagasaki brought a delegation of city council members, Rotarians and 16 junior high students in late August. Some twenty five Minnesotans will travel to Nagasaki for Okunchi in October.

  
  

  It has been a privilege to be part of the Sister City legacy. We are an all-volunteer organization, proving Margaret Mead’s quotation: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has". Thank you.

  
  

  

  Mondale Scholarship Recipients 2025-2026

  
  

  
  

  It is with great pleasure that JASM presents the 2025 Mondale Scholarships to Minh Thu Duong (Augsburg University), Mari Friel (St. Olaf College), Emil Johansson (Winona State University. ), and Kai Satriano (Macalester College).

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Master of Ceremonies: Gaosong V. Heu

  
  

  Gaosong V. Heu is a Hmong American artist, vocalist, writer, educator, and entrepreneur based in Saint Paul, MN. With over 15 years of training in Western classical voice and traditional Hmong folk music, she bridges ancestral memory with contemporary expression. She holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from the University of Minnesota–T.C. and a M.A. in Arts Administration from Columbia University. A passionate advocate for cultural equity, Gaosong works at the intersection of art, identity, and access. She currently stars in The Late Homecomer, a national one- woman show based on Kao Kalia Yang’s acclaimed memoir, produced by New York’s Literature to Life. Offstage, Gaosong is a content creator and the Co-Owner and Creative Director of Marc Heu Pâtisserie Paris, Saint Paul’s premier French dessert destination.

  
  

  Please click here to register for the Gala!

  
  

  Early Bird (register by Oct. 17)

  $160/ Non-member

  $110/ JASM member

  
  

  Regular (register Oct. 18 - Oct. 31)

  $190/ Non-member

  $130/ JASM member

  
  

  Post-Deadline (register Nov. 1 - Nov. 9)

  $210/Non-Member

  $150/Member

  
  

  JASM invites you to become a member! Please sign up here and then register for the Mondale Gala 2025.

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• Announcement: JoAnn Blatchley, Mondale Award 2025 Recipient

  • When
    2025-11-15
  •  
    5:30 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    Oak Ridge Country Club, 700 Oak Ridge Rd, Hopkins, MN 55305

  The Mondale Award Selection Committee is thrilled to present the 2025 Mondale Award to JoAnn Blatchley. JoAnn exemplifies the values and characteristics that the Mondales prescribed for recipients of this award. JoAnn's curiosity and compassion for people from different cultures was proven during her 30-year career as an English as a Second Language teacher in the Edina Public Schools. Not stopping there, her achievements with the St. Paul-Nagasaki Sister City Committee and the effects of her accomplishments are many and deep.

  Since 1997, the Mondale Award for Japan-Minnesota Partnership is presented annually by JASM to recognize outstanding contributions to the building of understanding, cooperation and respect between the people of Japan and Minnesota, just as its namesakes, Joan and Walter Mondale, intended.

  Kat Dalager, JASM President and Mondale Award Selection Committee Chair

  

  
  

  JoAnn Blatchley, Recipient of the Mondale Citation – In Her Own Words

  My first visit to Japan changed my life. In 2004, I received a Fulbright Memorial Fund for Teachers fellowship to spend three weeks in Japan, visiting schools, being exposed to Japanese culture, and traveling by bullet train to Hiroshima. I returned from that experience and wondered what else could I do continue my association with Japan and found the Saint Paul – Nagasaki Sister City Committee which promotes friendship between citizens of both countries. It was a perfect fit.

  
  

  One of my first ‘duties’ as an SPNSCC board member was to make arrangements for Sachiko Yasui, a hibakusha, to speak. Highlights of my tenure as board member and president of SPNSCC include the Gift of (Cherry) Trees from the government of Japan to St. Paul in 2012 and the Return of the Sword in 2013. Our 60th anniversary in 2015 included kite flyers Seikoo and Akiko Nakamura, visits by Mayor Tomihisa Taue, the Junshin singers, city officials and ten members of the Nagasaki Bridge Club. One highlight was the Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Exhibition at the Landmark Center, which also brought groups of school children to the exhibit and “Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard.” The pandemic cancelled our 65th anniversary celebration, but exchanges resumed in 2023.

  
  

  To celebrate our 70th anniversary in 2025, the Saint Paul Civic Symphony performed with their sister orchestra, the Nagasaki Symphony Orchestra. Saint Paul hosted our annual Cherry Tree Celebration, drawing some 1,000 visitors in early May. American children and youth finished the KIDS GUERNICA mural. Mayor Suzuki of Nagasaki brought a delegation of city council members, Rotarians and 16 junior high students in late August. Some twenty five Minnesotans will travel to Nagasaki for Okunchi in October.

  
  

  It has been a privilege to be part of the Sister City legacy. We are an all-volunteer organization, proving Margaret Mead’s quotation: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has". Thank you.

  
  

  —————————————————————————

  Register Today for the Mondale Gala

  Please join us for the Mondale Gala 2025 to celebrate the Mondale Award recipient and take part in this special evening on Saturday, November 15th at the Oak Ridge Country Club in Hopkins.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Reception: 5:30-6:30 p.m.
  Banquet & Program: 6:30-9:00 p.m.
  Dress Code: Business Attire or Kimono
  

  Do you need Kimono dressing assistance?  Registration will be open soon. 

  
  

  
  

  Early Bird (register by Oct. 17)

  $160/ Non-member

  $110/ JASM member

  
  

  Regular (register Oct. 18 - Oct. 31)

  $190/ Non-member

  $130/ JASM member

  
  

  Post-Deadline (register Nov. 1 - Nov. 9)

  $210/Non-Member

  $150/Member

  
  

  JASM invites you to become a member! Please sign up here and then register for the Mondale Gala 2025.

  Show details
• Save the Date! Annual Meeting 2025 (In-Person)

  • When
    2025-12-11
  •  
    6:30 PM

  The 2025 Annual Meeting is scheduled on December 11th at 6:30 pm. The place is TBD.

  At the meeting, we will be reflecting on the year as a whole and looking forward to next year. We’ll discuss additional ways we can further JASM’s mission and will hold elections for board members.

  Please mark your calendar!

  
  

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• JASM Community Engagements

  • Start
    2025-12-20
  •  
    10:00 AM
  • End
    2025-12-31
  •  
    11:59 PM
  • Location
    Various locations

  
  

  
  

  JASM’s Community Engagement: Connecting Minnesota with Japan

  Explore the events and organizations JASM visited in 2025 to share Japanese culture and strengthen ties between Minnesota and Japan.

  
  

  February

  • Emperor's Birthday Celebration at The Consulate General of Japan in Chicago
  • Chinese New Year Celebration at The Century College

  
  

  
  

  March

  • Talking to the History of Comic Class at The Century College
  • Cultural demonstration at The St. Thomas Academy
  • Japanese language consultant at The History Theater
  • Cultural Demonstration at Anime Detour

  
  

  
  

  April

  • Attendee at the Cha-ami Library Opening Event
  • Cultural Demonstration at Cooper High School Culture Fest
  • Cultural Outreach at the University of Minnesota Japanese Class

  

  May

  • Cultural Support at the SPNSC Cherry Blossom Celebration
  • Company Visit with Hoya Vision
  • Exhibitor at the Twin Cities West Metro Asian Fair

  

  June

  • Conference at the Midwest Forum - Consulate General of Japan in Chicago

  July

  • Presentation at Anoka County Library
  • Cultural Demonstrations at Mia Family Day

  
  

  
  

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• 2026 Takuzo Ishida Memorial Scholarship

  • Start
    2026-02-28
  •  
    11:30 PM
  • End
    2026-03-01
  •  
    11:30 PM
  • Location
    TBD

  

  JASM will award the Takuzo Ishida Memorial Scholarship to a student enrolled in a Minnesota high school who wants to broaden their knowledge of Japan through a combination of study and travel.  The application deadline is now extended.

  Please click here to read the application details.

  2025 Timeline:

  • Start accepting applications: December 1, 2025
  • Deadline for applications: February 28, 2026
  • Finalists' interviews with scholarship committee members:  During March 2026
  • Winner of the Scholarship will be notified: Early April 2026

  
  

  Past winner:

  2025: Abdulla Abdulaziz and Pajtshiab Yang

  2024: Bennie Tornoe (Click here to read her report on Tsushin Nov. 2024 issue on page 4)

  2023: Walter Barlow (Click here to read his report on Tsushin Nov. 2023 issue on page 3)

  If you would like to make a contribution to the Takuzo Ishida Memorial Scholarship's endowment, please click here.
  

  Takuzo Ishida was a researcher, carpenter, chef, and bonsai enthusiast who served as President of JASM and Founder/Principal of the Minneapolis Japanese School. The Takuzo Ishida Memorial Scholarship was established in 2019 by Mr. Ishida’s family and friends to recognize his contributions to the Japanese community in Minnesota and to support his passion for youth education. (To read a special edition of the Tsushin dedicated to Mr. Ishida, please click here. )

  
  

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