In my new position as staff writer for Fountain Valley Living Magazine, I would like to introduce myself for my first article.
My name is Judy Aoki and I have lived in Fountain Valley for 40 years. I am Japanese American, and I am 72 years old. I am married to Jackson and have two grown children, Jeff and Jana.
I have volunteered in the classrooms and computer lab at Cox Elementary School and was involved in fundraising at Cox and Masuda, as well as at Fountain Valley High School.
In 2010, I had breast cancer and received a free wig from the American Cancer Society at Orange Coast Memorial Hospital. After I was cancer free, I volunteered at the wig bank (now the Cancer Resource Information Center) and also volunteered as a pet therapy assistant.
I volunteer at Friends of the Fountain Valley Library as vice president in charge of programs; as the ways & means chairman for the Philharmonic Society of Orange County; and with the Back Bay Therapeutic Riding Club, helping special needs children and adults with horseback riding lessons and therapy. I also take photos for the Fountain Valley Garden Club.
I love to read and belong to three book clubs. I set up a little library across from Cox Elementary to provide books for the community. I joined the FV Moms and met Britni Harris Thompson, who co-founded the group, and Jamie Ankeny, who lost her son to leukemia and does fundraising for Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation (PCRF) and Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
I had an author tea to benefit PCRF and with the help of the community would like to continue to fundraise with an author tea every year for PCRF to support Jamie’s non-profit organization, Carter Strong Forever.
I have written several articles in the past and plan to write an article every month about a Fountain Valley neighbor or couple. I hope you will enjoy getting to know our special community of people in Fountain Valley who do wonderful things with their time and lives.