Help Students, Families and Schools Recover

We started our Japan trip with the Shoku no Kakehashi fundraising lunch with over 200 people in Tokyo on February 27^th . The luncheon featured a speech on Sustainable Development Goals by board member and TV reporter Hiroko Kuniya. Over 200 Ishinomakimono cards were sold plus a generous donation was made to TAMF. Thank you so much!

We had a great visit to Ishinomaki February 28^th – March 2nd to meet with many of the people we work together with to help ongoing recovery. 

We visited the Kokoro Smile Grief Care Center which helps students who have dropped out of school to recover and return to school. We played ping-pong with one of Taylor's former students and a student who just started to attend Kokoro Smile. Taylor’s former student had stopped going to school from PTSD, came to this center, and recovered. She now enjoys studying English at a college in Sendai and helps Ms. Shimura as a part-time volunteer. She said she chose to study English because of Taylor.

The IshinomaKimono card project is in the news...including showing sales at the Washington, DC National Gallery of Art! Please see the new story at this link: https://www.facebook.com/mihoko.terada/videos/2031928880158549/UzpfSTY4MzA5NzIzMTc1MDg4NToxNzc1MTgwNTE1ODc1ODc5/

We visited the Mayor of Ishinomaki City to learn how the status of reconstruction and to talk about future Taylor Bunko programs.

We read to the 5^th graders at Watanoha Elementary School and enjoyed watching their Yosakoi dance. So lively and genki! Please see the Ishinomaki school newsletter about our visit at this link: http://www.city.ishinomaki.lg.jp/school/20301700/d0010/d0070/d0076/20180302140639.html

We were pleased to visit the 12th Taylor Bunko at Inai Elementary School.  Endo-san heard from the school that they wanted six portable bookshelves that can move from classroom to classroom so you find these bookshelves placed around the school depending on who is using them at the time.

We visited the newly built Ogatsu Elementary School for the 13th Taylor Bunko dedication ceremony. Taylor's friend, Maiko-sensei gave a speech to the students about Taylor before our arrival. Four elementary schools were integrated and moved to this new school last August, but the number of students is less than half of what it was because many families had to move out after the disaster because of a lack of housing and jobs. The area has a mountainous coast so areas above the coast have been developed over many years, but the jobs left while there was no place to live.

We visited with the Ishinomaki Senshu University (ISU) President to discuss the upcoming Randolph Macon College (RMC) and ISU student exchange which will begin this September with ISU students visiting RMC. We are excited to once again have TOMODACHI’s support with this exchange and to see the partnership between these two schools continue to expand. RMC currently has ISU Professor Yasushi Maruoaka as a visiting Fulbright professor.

TAMF and Team Watahoi work together on a number of projects including the Ishinomakimono program headed by Ryoko Endo and the building of the Taylor Bunko’s by Shinichi Endo. We planted two cherry trees at Watahoi station, the Endo's former house site. One from the Endos to the Andersons, while the other from the Andersons to the Endos in honor of Taylor, Hana, Kanta and Kana. A Sendai TV station had a story about the seven year-old friendship between Mr.and Mrs. Anderson and Mr. and Mrs. Endo. From the 1st Taylor Bunko dedication in September, 2011 to the 13^th just installed. https://www.facebook.com/mihoko.terada/videos/2102644139753689/UzpfSTY4MzA5NzIzMTc1MDg4NToxODMwNzkwNzM2OTgxNTIz/

We had our board meeting on March 4^th at the American Japan Society to decide on programs for the upcoming year. We are thankful to have a dedicated board who continues to work on recovery for the area.

“Little by Little Matching Campaign” through Friday, April 13^th!

This week is GlobalGiving’s Little by Little Matching Campaign and it's all about small donations adding up to BIG change. 

Starting now, $50,000 in matching funds are up for grabs. GlobalGiving will match eligible donations up to $50 at 50% while funds remain, or until the campaign ends at 11:59pm ET on Friday, April 13th. 

All week long there will be a 100% match on new recurring donations. And, at the end of the week, we'll know who the lucky five projects are who'll win the $3,000 in bonus prizes ($1,000, $800, $600, $400, $200) for most funds raised. 

Thank you for your support which helps us continue programs like these to help Ishinomaki families, schools and students affected by the disaster to continue to recover, learn and expand their horizons! Please follow us on Facebook/Tamfjp

Links:

• NHK World Story - Building Bridges
• NHK Story - Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund
• Ishinomaki English Speech Competition Winner

Ishinomaki Senshu University and Randolph Macon College Exchange Program Continued!

We are pleased to announce that after two successful exchange years TAMF will be able to continue this fruitful exchange of students and faculty for the next two years with the help of the US Japan Council’s TOMODACHI project.  Thank you to TOMODACHI and we look forward to reporting on the results of these exchanges the next two years!  Just a few of of the recent results of the exchange have been a Fulbright Scholarship for an ISU professor to teach at RMC, a Japanese Minor offered at RMC and RMC launching a new Japanese Admissions website. 

Ishinomakimono Project

Another beautiful set of Ishinomakimono cards were ordered by the National Gallery of Art Washington DC Gift Shop for the 2018 Cherry Blossom Festival!  If you're interested in purchasing these beautiful kimono fabric greeting cards made in Ishinomaki by volunteers to benefit TAMF please click on the IshinomaKimono Facebook page link below.   Please be patient as they have had many orders!

International day at Ishinomaki Nishi High School

TAMF supported International day at Ishinomaki Nishi High School. Students from the disaster area in the U.S., Taiwan, Korea and Japan gathered and shared their lessons.  Several students from Nishi HS have participated in the TAMF high school exchange program.

Akane lost her home, memories and her best friends because of the tsunami. After six years, she now bravely tells her story on weekends in the area to tourists throughout Japan.

Brendan from Joplin, Missouri, told how volunteers and local people united together to survive the record breaking EF-5 tornado in the same year, 2011.

Nan-Ning from Taiwan introduced a story of a gas explosion in 2014, a man-made disaster. Her town looks OK now, but still many people are struggling mentally as well as physically.

Minsoo from Korea told that disasters don't occur suddenly, but slowly occur in silence without awareness. Preparation is needed.

Nishi High School is proudly the station for Blue Carp project. A high school boy, Kento, lost his little brother and started collecting his favorite Blue Carps six years ago. Kento still visits the school and helps to prepare Children's day with students.  Randolph Macon College participates in the Blue Carp Day half way around the world!  Ishinomaki Nishi high school is one of the most enthusiastic schools to tell and learn from the disaster stories.

Newsletter Article about 12^th Taylor Bunko Installation

An update from last quarter’s report is that the Inai Elementary School newsletter published an  article (see picture) about the Taylor Bunko ceremony.  An article in the box is a thank-you letter from a student. Endo-san completed the 12th Taylor Bunko and it was installed at Inai elementary school on back-to-school day.   The school held a ceremony for the installation which included a book certificate for the school to purchase books for the bunko. 

JETAA Western Japan JET Film Festival Fundraiser for TAMF

In celebration of the JET Programme's 30th anniversary,  JETAA Western Japan, the Hyogo Chapter of the United Nations Association of Japan, the Kobe International Center for Cooperation and Communication (KICC),  and Hyogo International Association held the JET Film Festival at the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art In Kobe on November 18^th.   Alward winning videos from the JET video contest and “Live Your Dream: The Taylor Anderson Story” were shown at this fundraiser.  Thank you to all involved for raising over 40,000 yen for TAMF! 

Thank you for your support which helps us continue programs like these to help Ishinomaki students affected by the disaster to continue to learn and expand their horizons!

Links:

• IshinimaKimono Facebook Page
• Children's Day Blue Carp Project
• TAMF Facebook Page