AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS

• BWA--Preparing for the National BWA Conference on the weekend of October 12-14, 2007.
• Dharma School--The Dharma School session has begun. All children ages 4-18 are invited to come and learn about Buddhism in a warm and supportive environment. Classes take place on Sunday mornings at 10:30 am
• BEC--"Full Moon" Dharma talk and potluck meets quarterly.
• Junior YBA The Jr. YBA invites all who are between the ages of 14-17 to come join the fun!
• YABA--The CAL YABA Conference was held at The Jodo Shinshu Center on May. 19,2007.
• Cub Scouts-The Cub Scouts are looking for new members (i.e. boys 7 or older).
• Boy Scouts--Celebrated 75th Anniversary of the Troop on the weekend of Sept. 14-16.
• Girl Scouts--There are currently 3 Girl Scout groups including Daisies,Brownies, and Jr. Girl Scouts. Meetings will occur on second and fourth Fridays of the month.
• YAO-YAO season has started..
• Soko Gakuen--nonprofit Japanese language school since 1915. In 2007 Soko Gakuen established a cooperative relation with the Institute of Buddhist Studies, an institution of higher education that provides post-graduate education.

Join the Girl Scout Troops at BCSF!

The church has troops for girls ages 5 through 18.

Troop 1259

Kindergarten = Daisies: Currently meeting with Brownies
1, 2, 3rd Grades = Brownies:
Emily Murase, Leader

Troop 3130

4, 5, 6th Grades
Junior 4s: Janet Lee, Leader
Junior 5s - no group currently
Junior 6s: Elisabeth Gunther, Leader

Troop 2958

7, 8, 9th Grades
Cadette 7s: Camille Pating, Leader
Cadette 7s: Tara Mochizuki, Leader
Cadette 8s and 9s: Karen Lee, Leader
Senior 10s, 11th, 12th: Nanayo Silver, Leader

We are always looking for leaders and girls interested in scouting. Contact any of the leaders if you have a question!

Silver Awards for Girl Scouts

Troop 2958
The Silver Award is the highest award a Cadette level Girl Scout can earn. Cadettes are usually ages12-15 (grades 6 - 9). At our temple, the Cadettes of Troop 2958 are usually grades 7, 8, 9. Our temple has nine girls who have earned their Silver Award. Below are bios for four of the girls.

Amber F.: She attended Nihonmachi Little Friends Preschool, and after graduating, attended Clarendon Elementary for three years, transferring to William R. DeAvila Elementary for her fourth and remaining years of elementary school. She went to A. P. Giannini for her middle school education. She is currently at Lowell High School where she runs for the cross country and track teams. She enjoys reading, writing, and green tea ice-cream from Polly Ann's.

Kelly C.: I'm attending Lowell High School and like to ski/snowboard. One of my favorite foods is natto, the stinky, sticky, fermented soy beans that lots of people I know don't like. I have been in Girl Scouts for about 6 years. I first joined Girl Scouts when I was in 4th grade when I started out as a Junior. I am now a Senior after receiving my Silver award. As a Senior, I hope to earn my Gold award. Something I like about being a Girl Scout is that I can buy cookies and nuts from myself and I don't have to ask anyone to sell some to me.

Katie T.: I attend Lowell High School and I have been in Girl Scouts for 7 years. I first joined because many of my friends were in it. But I have stayed because I think it's a good way to learn responsibility and leadership. Getting the Silver award was hard work, but it was a rewarding experience. Now, I am ready to get my Gold Award with my troop.

Kiyomi K. I attend Claire Lilienthal Alternative School. I like to play many sports, draw cartoons, & listen to J-pop music. I am very happy that I got the Silver Award (:]).

Summer Dharma School

Are you looking for a program for your kids this summer? Are you interested in exposing your children to Buddhism? Do you want them to be safe and have fun? This year's theme is Buddhism for Me!

Our Summer Dharma School is the BEST! We mix Buddhism, arts and crafts, music, and Japanese American history with field trips into the community, a sleepover at the temple, and lots of contact with a variety of Buddhist ministers and Sangha members.

We accept students between K-8th grade. Our curriculum relies on our resident minister, Reverend Hiroshi Abiko, visiting ministers and temple members.

Activities and lessons are mixed to create a fun atmosphere to learn about Buddhism, ourselves, our community and the Sangha.

Your children will experience the temple in a way that makes them feel right at home. It is a lot of fun and there are lots of exciting things to do. Being Buddhist is COOL!

Save these dates for A Special Place Summer Dharma School!

June  16 - July 3, 2008 (Monday thru Friday).

Hours: 9:30am - 3:30pm, extended hours for childcare: 8:30am - 4:30 pm

Come join the fun! Bring a friend!