President’s Message
Yuka Sato-Atiyota, President
I hope you’re all doing well and enjoying the gradually warming sunshine. In our last newsletter, we gave a brief introduction to the services offered by JSS. This time, I’d like to share a little more about how JSS operates and the important role of our Board of Directors.
Japanese Social Services (JSS) is a registered non-profit organization in Ontario and a recognized charity under the Canada Revenue Agency. Our mission is to serve the community, and as such, we do not seek to make a profit from service fees or donations. However, running our organization comes with necessary expenses—such as staff salaries, rent, and operational costs—which are covered through donations, financial support from various sources, membership fees, and service fees.
Our clinical staff and volunteers work directly with clients to provide services, while the Board of Directors oversees JSS’s operations with the support of administrative staff and volunteers. By law, all board members serve on a volunteer basis. Since JSS is a small organization with just four staff members, our board functions as a “working board,” meaning our responsibilities go beyond governance. In addition to setting policies, strategic planning, and fundraising, board members are actively involved in HR, finance, public and partner relations, and program oversight.
Currently, we have eight board members, including myself, who bring their expertise and experience to support JSS’s mission. If you’re passionate about giving back to the community, why not join us? If you’re interested, please check out our “Board Member Recruitment” article for more details. We’d love to have you on board!
Last but not least, I would like to express sincere appreciation to all the donors and sponsors who supported JSS in the year of 2024. I want to thank Toronto Buddhist Church for sponsoring the 2025 Kakehashi-no-kai program, and Setsuko Thurlow for donating the NAJC Human Rights Award cash prize. With your kind support, JSS will continue to make a difference in people’s lives in 2025.
