Volunteers Needed for Preservation Work at Manzanar’s Children’s Village Site

The following is a press release from the National Park Service.

The public is cordially invited to join Manzanar National Historic Site and others over Labor Day Weekend (September 2-6) in preserving Manzanar’s Children’s Village, the only World War II Japanese American incarceration camp orphanage. We will be joined by former Manzanar orphans Karyl Matsumoto and Lillian Ogata Bonner. There will be a group dinner and a presentation about Childrenz’s Village Saturday evening (6-8 PM) at the Lone Pine Smokehouse that anyone, even if they are not working at the volunteer project, can attend.

Much of the planned work can be physically demanding. Previous experience is helpful, but all that is really needed is a willingness to get dirty. The main work will consist of rebuilding the rustic wood gazebo and fences that were at the orphanage, resetting building footers, and installing a few signs. We will also be raking leaf duff, pruning trees, pulling weeds, and using wheelbarrows to move dirt.

We will be able to accommodate up to 25 volunteers a day. Volunteers must be at least 15 years old and be able to work outdoors. Volunteers must sign up in advance and may work any number of days or hours, but a full day or multiple days are preferred.

Work will be conducted regardless of weather, so please come prepared, bring water, lunch, snacks, sunscreen, hat, and work gloves. We will meet each day at 7:30 AM in the visitor center parking lot and work until 3:30 PM.

Volunteers should RSVP no later than August 24, 2022, as participation is limited. Please email Jeff Burton at jeff_burton@nps.gov for more information and to sign up.

Manzanar National Historic Site is located nine miles north of Lone Pine and six miles south of Independence on the west side of U.S. Highway 395 (see map below). Learn more on our web site at https://www.nps.gov/manz or look for us on Facebook, “ManzanarNPS” on Instagram, and on YouTube.

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PHOTO: The children and infants in this photograph were among the 101 orphans who were incarcerated in Children’s Village at the Manzanar concentration camp during World War II. They were among more than 120,000 Japanese/Japanese Americans who were falsely targeted as threats to national security by the United States Government. Public domain photo via Densho.org.

Manzanar National Historic Site via Google Maps

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