June 2025 Board Notes

Date:

06/10/2025

Attendance:

Board Attended: Alli Cassel, Kevin Ehrler, Lori Fischer-Fairbanks, Alyssa Johnson, Christina Kramer, Hope Kronen, Bruce Levine, Nick Nelson, and Jeannette Wallen
Board Absent:
Observers: Sherilyn W. Brown, Samantha Cozort, J.C. Horvath, Jeremiah Keohen, Makaila Kozitza, Evan Miller, Jessica Silver, and Jacob Warner

Notes:

Anime Twin Cities Board Meeting Minutes

June 10th, 2025
7:00 PM

Board Present - Alli Cassel, Kevin Ehrler, Lori Fischer-Fairbanks, Alyssa Johnson, Christina Kramer, Hope Kronen, Bruce Levine, Nick Nelson, and Jeannette Wallen

Board Absent -

Public – Sherilyn W. Brown, Samantha Cozort, J.C. Horvath, Jeremiah Keohen, Makaila Kozitza, Evan Miller, Jessica Silver, and Jacob Warner

Agenda is available in the link in the description of the livestream, these meetings are counted for attendance for voting rights please comment your name in the chat and fill out the google form in order to gain voting rights.


Agenda

  • Recap off cycle board actions and votes
     
    • Election Results
      • Christina Kramer, Nick Nelson and Lori Fischer-Fairbanks have been elected to the Board.
      • This is Alli Cassel and Alyssa Johnson’s last meeting as members of the board.
      • Had quick meeting to do the officer roles for this cycle: President – Christina, Vice President – Hope, Treasurer – Jeannette, and Secretary – Nick
         
    • New Charities Coordinator
      • Jacob Warner
      • Just brought him on but we are having a big charity meeting this month which he will be able to participate in.
         
    • ATC Logo Redesign

Motion to approve this new logo.

Alyssa Seconded
All in Favor

Everyone approved of the motion

Motion Passes
 

  • Planned Discussions from scheduled visiting parties/ATC Partners
    • None

       

Coordinator Updates
 

  • Coordinator Position Open: Special Events
    • Steps for Autism 5/18
      • Christina and Hope went, many kids there it was awesome, Hope – Nice to see the community, good time out.
         
    • Twin Cities Pride 6/28-6/29
      • We are working on a shift schedule.
      • We want to get some stickers at least.
         
  • Anime Detour – J.C. Horvath
    • We have started a new cycle; we have had one meeting so far.
    • You can go to the Anime Detour YouTube page to find a different recording under the live tab. Hope did a good job coordinating so we still had the PowerPoint on the right slide when we were talking.
    • We had originally set the 2nd staff meeting during Pride, that has been fixed, and it will instead be on Sunday June 22nd. It will be at 1pm and we will bounce between 1 and 2 throughout the year but this second meeting with be at the same library as the first. We will also bounce between Saturday and Sundays.
    • Hopefully most of you got an invite to the new calendar J.C. made but if not they will still send out necessary messages through the appropriate channels.

       
  • Finance – Jeannette Wallen 3
    • Dollar amounts:
        • Business Checking: 353,026.99
        • Education Fund: 3,098.42
        • Business Market Rate Savings (Community Fund): 14,507.51
           
  • Communications – Makaila Kozitza
    • She did put out a post to get some feedback on charities but there was no feedback given.
       
  • Charities – Jacob Warner
      • His name is Jacob, and he has been the charity head with Anime Detour.
      • He is happy to help.
      • He hasn’t been able to do much yet, but he is still figuring out what will need to be done.


15 Minute Break (If the preceding topics take little time, the board may vote to skip this)

Motion to Skip
All in Favor (All of the present Board)
Motion Passes


 

Current Month Board Topics

 

  • Charitable Giving
      • Proposal from Toshocon from the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library
      • It is two days in September at the library.
      • They are looking for $3K to put this event on.
      • We funded the event last year but were not able to attend Toshocon.

 

All in Favor in agreeing to donate the $3K for ToshoCon.

All in favor, All Board Members approve.

The motion passes.
 

Charitites / Partners

Websites

Donation Amount

Notes

Autism Society of MN

https://ausm.org/

1,000

*This is on top of the $698

Can do Canine

https://candocanines.org/

1,000

 

Como Friends/Japanese Gardens

https://comofriends.org/

1,000

 

Japanese American Citizens League

https://www.tcjacl.org/

1,000

 

JASM

https://www.mn-japan.org

2,000

*We donated $2K total last year, a $1K donation and then $1K for the Mondale Award and Scholarship Gala
We are holding off on $1K for the Mondale Award and Scholarship Gala specifically of this $2K amount.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund

https://www.breakthrought1d.org/

1,000

 

Minneapolis Collaged of Art & Design (MCAD)

https://www.mcad.edu/

1,000

 

Minnesota Kyudo Renmei

https://www.mnkyudo.org/

--

*We already donated $1K

Normandale Japanese Gardens

https://www.normandale.edu/why-normandale/community/japanese-garden/index.html

1,000

 

Organization for Transformative Works

https://www.transformativeworks.org/

1,000

 

Friends of the St. Paul Library

https://thefriends.org/

3,000

*3,000 is the proposed ATC budget for Toshocon

St. Paul Nagasaki Sister City (Obon Festival / Cherry Blossom Festival)

https://www.stpaulnagasaki.org/

5,000

*Based on our donation from 2024 / Ongoing partnership, but may need to check with Jo Ann first.

Youth for Understanding

https://www.yfuusa.org/

1,000

 

Carleton Japanese Garden

https://www.carleton.edu/japanese-garden/

1,000

 

Sum

 

20,000

 

 

        • We already donated $1K to Kyudo Renmei earlier this year and we spent $698 for the two AUSM events, but that doesn't mean we can't donate on top of that.
        • In August of last year we approved a $1k each to JASM, Normandale Japanese Garden, Twin Cities Japanese Citizen League, Can Do Canines, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Youth For Understanding, Organization for Transformative Works, AUSM, Como Friends, and Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund.
        • Friends of St. Paul Public Library sent us a proposal for Toshocon which is $3K, which we approved earlier in this meeting and that $3K is what is included in the table above.
        • With JASM we will just do $1K now and then save the other $1K for when they have the scholarship.

 

 

Motion to approve these donations for the year.

Hope Seconded

All In Favor

Everyone approved

Motion Passes


Open Session (up to 30 minutes)

  • Any members of the community can bring new business to discuss with the board
    • Nothing

       

Open Board Projects/Future Meeting discussions
 

  • Policy Updates
    • Board Training – Working on this
    • Rental Requests – Working on this for July


Motion to Adjourn
Seconded (Alyssa)
All in favor (All of the present Board)
Motion Passes
 

7:23 pm meeting adjourned.
 


Please contact atcboard@animetwincities.org or atc_secretary@animetwincities.org if you would like to be added to the agenda for discussion items.