SOMEONE IN A ROYAL BLUE T-SHIRT JUST FLEW BY!!!

Contributed by Nora Feldman 

If you attended this year’s NoHo Theatre & Arts Festival or attended the festival anytime over the past five years, you may have noticed a group of very cheery volunteers - - this year dressed in vibrant blue t-shirts with the lettering SGI-USA - - assisting in theatre area booths, as well as at the Kids Kourt.   This year, SGI-USA provided the festival with over 40 volunteers during the two-day event. 

This group, SGI-USA, has lent a helping hand over the years on many occasions --

volunteering with an indomitable spirit to do whatever is needed to get the job done, often reacting quickly to changing situations.   From tree planting in Torrance, to traffic control for the LA Olympics, to assisting at the LA Marathon, to traffic and crowd control at numerous parades and civic functions, to our very own NoHo Theatre & Arts Festival - - SGI is there to help. 

Although not a church group, SGI is a congregation -- a congregation of Buddhists.

“Soka Gakkai International (SGI-USA) is an American Buddhist association that promotes world peace and individual happiness based on the teachings of the Nichiren school of Mahayana Buddhism.” “All of the SGI activities are devoted to the promotion of peace, culture and education...”   Members of the group reflect a cross section of a diverse American society representing a broad range of ethnic society and social backgrounds. 

In addition, SGI-USA brings many programs to the schools and community. Their Victory Over Violence program is a grassroots campaign to raise awareness about violence, its causes and solutions.  For more information about SGI, their peace initiatives and programs please visit www.sgi-usa.org. 

Although many SGI members live in the North Hollywood and in adjacent areas, the group does not currently have a building locally they can call home.  In 2003, SGI lost their long-time North Hollywood community center on Weddington. The group has been looking for an appropriate property in the area, but so far hasn’t found a building to be the perfect fit.  The space needs to be a minimum of 2,500 square feet and usable as an assembly space.  Should you know of space that might suit their needs, please phone Alan Lott at (818) 342-3272. 

Now you know; the next time you see someone fly by wearing a vibrant blue t-shirt with SGI-USA emblazoned on it, know that it is an SGI member filling a need by volunteering in their neighborhood.