Help Students, Families and Schools Recover

Three New Taylor Bunkos

In February A whale shaped Taylor bunko made by Endo-san was presented to Ayukawa ES in Ishinomaki by Co-Chair Ichiro Fujisaki and Jason Hyland of MGM. This was the 18th Taylor Bunko built by Endo-san and each is different and designed for that school. The school was presented with book coupons to buy books of their choice. It also comes with the book by Naomi Chiba "A Gift from Taylor" which tells the story in Japanese and English to students of why the Taylor Bunkos were created. 

In March a Taylor bunko made by Endo-san was presented to Oshika Junior High in Ishinomaki by TAMF Advisor Shinichi Endo. This was the 19th Taylor Bunko built by Endo-san and each is different and designed for that school. The school was presented with book coupons to buy books of their choice. The Principal, Vice-Principal and teachers are shown in the pictures with Endo-san . We are so fortunate to have Endo-san's creative ability and craftsmanship as are the schools and students! 

Ayukawa elementary school and Oshika junior high school are located in Ayukawa at the tip of the Oshika peninsula. A tourist facility was established in October. In April, there will be open a whale land (Whale Museum). It is hoped that people will visit and the tourist industry will also help the Oshika peninsula to become popular and recover. 

The 20th Taylor Bunko was presented to Kitakami elementary school in Ishinomaki in April where classes in the new school building have recently begun. The Kitakami area was severely damaged by the tsunami so the population has decreased. There used to be three elementary schools in this area, but two of the three were completely destroyed. The new Kitakami Elementary School took the place of the three schools. Fund advisor and bookshelf maker Endo-san tells us, "Each of the bookshelf's design is symbolic of particular characteristics in each area." As always, they were designed with the input of the school. Endo-san also presented book coupons to the school principal so they can fill the bookshelves with books!

 Taylor Trophy Presented to Ishinomaki English Speech Contest Winner

This year’s speech contest winner was won by Risako, a ninth grader from Yamoto Middle School.   The wooden trophy was made by Endo-san.

 NHK and TBS Television Stories about TAMF Activities

“American tsunami victim's legacy lives on “ - An inspirational NHK World and NHK Story about Ayaka, a Taylor Scholarship graduate from the Sendai YMCA College who lives her dream after her loss of her mother in the tsunami. The story also tells of programs at Randolph-Macon College, Taylor's alma mater. There are links to video and digital story below.

TBS aired a story in Japan about one of Taylor’s students. Eriko was in 5th grade at Kezuma ES in 2011. The Anderson family visited her school in 2013 to dedicate a Taylor bunko. She remembers Taylor fondly and now studies English at Rikkyo University in Tokyo. She says many students loved learning from Taylor and she speaks English fluently. Her school "happens to " be related to Taylor's Randolph-Macon College (RMC). Those two are sister schools, which Eriko didn't know when she applied for the program to visit RMC. Eriko visited RMC in March and met Taylor’s parents and was able to share her story in English with them. Unfortunately the link has expired, but the story was also published by the Asahi Shimbun and is shown in the photo links.

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:

• American tsunami victim's legacy lives on - NHK World
• American tsunami victim's legacy lives on - NHK World Digital st
• Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund