Kokoro: The Heart of the Community

Gerald (Jerry) Fukui, 2025 President's Award

Gerald, the great-grandson of founder Soji Fukui, is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where he received a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences in 1975. After graduating, Gerald followed in the tradition of providing caring and compassionate services to families.

Active in the funeral industry since 1970, he is a member of the California Funeral Director's Association and the National Funeral Director's Association. Being a licensed funeral director since 1980, Gerald has carried on the legacy of Soji by providing a needed service as well as supporting the community and its many organizations. Gerald is an active member of Nisei Week, Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, Kizuna, Keiro, Japanese Optimist Club, Little Tokyo Service Center, and more.

Don Tahara, 2025 President's Award

Don Tahara is a Little Tokyo restaurateur and caterer.  His earliest remembrance of Little Tokyo was his mother taking him on the street car to his doctor’s appointment on 1st and San Pedro Street in the 1950’s. He took Japanese cooking classes there in the 1970’s and started catering in Little Tokyo in the 1980’s at JACCC.   He witnessed with  pride the early years and growth of JANM in the 1990’s.  He participated in LTSC’s Tofu Festival for ten years, and their Sake Festival in recent years.  Don signed a lease in 1994 with LTSC for the former Far East Cafe restaurant and with his partners opened Far Bar, whose mission statement described a community focused business serving goodwill and good food.  He and his partners opened Sake Dojo in 2017 on historic 1st Street and then sold the restaurant in 2023.  Starting with the pandemic and through the current year Far Bar has provided senior meals Mondays-Fridays for the Little Tokyo Nutrition Services program.  Currently Far Bar is providing once a week lunches to Pasadena Buddhist to aid the fire victims.

David Ono, Master of Ceremonies

David Ono is the co-anchor for ABC7 Eyewitness News at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Since joining ABC7 in 1996, David has witnessed history worldwide, covering Hurricane Katrina, Haiti's earthquake and Japan's tsunami. He traveled across Europe and Asia chronicling brave acts of the Nisei soldier from World War II. He attended the Royal Wedding in London, tracked drug runners through Central America and reported from Paris on a terrorist plot to bring down the Eiffel Tower.

Ono has trained with the FBI and the elite Los Angeles Sheriff's SWAT team. President Obama invited him to the White House for an exclusive interview. And he witnessed white smoke at the Vatican twice - in 2005 for the selection of Pope Benedict the 16th and 2013 for the selection of Pope Francis. Recently, Ono surfaced in Boston, chronicling the marathon bombing. He has won nine Edward R. Murrow awards and 28 Emmys.

Helen H. Ota, Auctioneer

Helen H. Ota is the 2025 Nisei Week Foundation President and has been involved with the festival since 1989, serving as a court member, board member, and Foundation president in 2008.

She is Artistic Director Emeritus of COLD TOFU, the nation’s premier Asian American comedy improv troupe, performing for 25 years and continuing as an instructor and workshop leader for non-profits and corporate groups.

Helen also performs with the Grateful Crane Ensemble, traveling to Japan for its Tohoku Goodwill Tour, and sings with Asian Persuasian, an Asian American vocal harmony group. She has 30 years of experience in event planning, fundraising, and producing theatrical shows.

Daniel Ho, Performing Artist

Daniel Ho beams with music—you’ll find him enveloped in the next melody for an original composition or tapping out a rhythm on just about anything within reach. He is an ‘ukulele virtuoso, slack key guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, singer-songwriter, producer, audio engineer, and record company owner. He is a six-time Grammy Award winner, twelve-time Grammy Award nominee, six-time Taiwanese Golden Melody Award winner, and recipient of multiple Hawaiian Music awards.

His collaborations transcend genres – from traditional and contemporary Hawaiian Music to World Music with Taiwanese aboriginals and Mongolian nomads, to duets with Pepe Romero the maestro of classical guitar, to contemporary jazz and rock with Tak Matsumoto of the Japanese supergroup, B’z. Daniel’s music has been featured in film and television in projects such as The Descendants, Soul Surfer, the TV series Hawaiʻi Five-O, and NHK (Japan). A notable mention is his performance of a Hawaiian-language rendition of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” for the end credits of the 2008 movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Hālau Hula Kealiʻi O Nālani, Performing Artist

Founded in 1991 under the direction of Kumu Hula Kealiʻi Ceballos, the highly-acclaimed dancers of Hālau Hula Kealiʻi o Nālani are known for their perpetuation of ancient hula, Hawaiian culture and its traditions. Equally impressive is their forward-thinking ability to present contemporary interpretations of new music and themes.

Members of the hālau range from children to seniors, and consist of different levels (e.g., recreational, competitive) based on their commitment to the art of hula. Dedicated to their kumu (teacher), some members have been with Kealiʻi since the start of the hālau. In its 34th year, the hālau has appeared alongside the best of Hawaiian artists and performed in many festivals and community events. The hālau has garnered over 230+ awards at hula competitions locally and abroad, and have danced at celebrated venues such as the Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. They continue to practice regularly at their Los Angeles and South Bay base and remotely online.