The Lily McMahan Outstanding Volunteer Award was established in 2013 to recognize and honor volunteers who have helped to continue and enhance our Japan In the Schools (JIS) educational program! In recent years, the volunteer award has been announced during our Holiday Celebration & Auction fundraiser.

The award is named after Lily McMahan, who was born in America in 1924. She was educated in Japan from age 12 until her graduation from Tsuda College. She became a “Japan in the Schools” volunteer in 1996, conducting more than 170 classroom visits and also serving on the JIS committee. In 2009, Lily received the Consul General Award from the Consul General of Japan in recognition of her exceptional work as a JIS volunteer. The award was created to recognize and honor our top JIS volunteers by creating the Lily McMahan Outstanding Volunteer Award on December 3rd, 2013.

Awards

2013 – Lily McMahan

2014 – Tom Kohler

2015 – Mayumi Sklar

2016 – Eve Bleecker

2017 – Shoko Farmer

2018 – Tsutomu “Tom” Sasaki

2019 – Daniel L. Winters

2020 – Masako Tsuoka

2021 – Namiko Bagirimvano

2022 – Nancy Kitano

2023 – TBA at the Holiday Celebration & Auction!