The Annual General Membership Meeting will be held this year at the OlyAHA! Museum and Visitor Center on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. The event will begin at 5:30 PM and is open to all community members. Please bring a potluck dish to share.

Membership Meeting Agenda

1. Finance/treasurer report

2. Yashiro Garden update

3. 2026 Student Ambassador Program update

4. Board elections

Call for Elections

• President

• Vice President

• Secretary

• Treasurer

• Board of Director Positions

All officer and board of director positions are up for election this year. All positions serve a two-year term. View the roles and responsibilities in our bylaws. For more information or to submit your name for a position, contact Sharyn Merrigan, secretary@olympiakatosca.org by November 19, 2026.

Yashiro Garden Relocation Update

The City of Olympia Parks Department is planning to relocate the Yashiro Garden after the sale of its current property to the Squaxin Tribe, to create a new, tranquil space within the park system. Three proposed sites—Burri Park, Squaxin Park, and Decatur Park—were presented at the October OKSCA meeting, each offering different sizes and features, such as ADA accessibility, existing amenities, and surrounding noise levels. The Parks Department is actively salvaging plants from the original 26,000 square foot garden to prepare for the move and is seeking a site that will maintain the garden's reflective character. For more information, see our website.

2026 OKSCA Student Ambassador Program Applications Now OPEN!

The Olympia-Kato Sister City Association invites high school students in Thurston County to apply for the OKSCA Student Ambassador Program to Kato, Japan, in July 2026.

• Students must be current 9th-12th graders, residing in Thurston County

• Students must be mature and comfortable in new surroundings and meeting new people 

• Leadership skills and an interest in Japanese culture are expected

• Some knowledge of the Japanese language is a plus but not required 

• Students whose families have or will be able to host a Kato student will be given extra consideration

More details and the application may be found on our website.

2025 Kato Friendship Delegation Wrap-up

OKSCA hosted 15 students and 3 chaperones for 10 days in August. The delegation was kept busy each day and then spent their nights with a host family.

Highlights were visiting a south county working farm,  enjoying a day in Seattle, and participating in a robotics competition at Capital HS.

We closed the visit with an awesome Sayonara Party, hosted at the Olympia Fire Dept. Station 1, which included BBQ buffet, performances, and a line dancing lesson!

Join or Renew your OKSCA Membership for 2026!

Your support helps us to foster continued friendship between our Sister Cities, promote citizen diplomacy, and build leadership skills among our Youth Ambassadors. Membership options are as follows:

• Student: $15

• Individual: $30

• Family: $50

• Patron: $100

• Civic/Non-Profit Organization: $50

• Corporate: $200

Payment can be made by mail with checks or money orders, or online at https://www.olympiakatosca.org/membership.

Additional contributions for the Olympia Student Ambassador Scholarship and Visitation Fund are gladly accepted.

For assistance with the dues process, contact Treasurer Debbie Macy, macyhome@comcast.net.

Inspire Olympia Grant Program

We want to give a big shout-out to the City of Olympia for their financial support through the Inspire Olympia grant program.

OKSCA was able to receive almost $10,000 to support programming for the recent Kato Student Delegation.

This included hosting daily activities, transportation, lunches, and a farewell dinner.