Scholarships to Live Dreams and Move Forward

The four TAMF scholarship students have sent us their half year video reports and are working hard to achieve their goals at school.  We visited with them on November 11th and were treated to fine pastries made by the two pattisiere students and good service from the two hotel students.  Each student gave a PowerPoint presentation in English about what they have learned.  Kyoka is very excited about her new position after graduation at the Imperial Hotel!

Each of the students is participating in volunteer activities.  For example, Ayaka, who lost her mother in the tsunami, was returning to Ishinomaki the Saturday after our visit to teach a cookie baking class at the Ashinaga Rainbow House, which provides support for orphans, whether they have lost one parent or two.  Her leadership shows the younger orphans a successful role model they can follow.. 

Please view and enjoy the messages from the students.  Your donations are why they are able to give them and it has made such a big difference in their lives

Message from Ayaka - first year patissiere student from Ishinomaki

Message from Kyoka - second year student from Shichigahama who will be working at the Imperial Hotel

Message from Ikumi - first year patissiere student from Ishinomaki

Message from Yuichi - second year hotel student from Kesennuma

Have Your Donation Doubled during #GivingDecember with the Recurring Match Campaign!

GlobalGiving is running their eighth Recurring Match Campaign during #GivingDecember from December 1 through December 31, 2015,  Sign up during that time period and your recurring donations will be matched by Global Giving.  This is a great way to double the impact of your contriibution to help students to live their dreams and move forward..

Please sign up for the Recurring Match #GivingDecember Campaign today (click on the "Donate Monthly" tab on the right side of the page to see more details about the campaign)!

Links:

• Sendai YMCA Hotel College Website
• Sendai YMCA Hotel College Facebook Page

Two new students are spending valuable days at the Sendai YMCA Hotel College.  We have new students' video messages from the start of their school year.  Both students graduated Ishinomaki High School and are very good students pursuing their dream to be pastry chefs (patissieres).  Ayuka, who lost her mother in the disaster, tells of her dream, which her mother helped her with, to become a patissiere.  Ikumi 's family lost their business after the tsunami and she plans to be a first class patissiere after her two years of study.  She hopes to put a smile on customers' faces with her cakes.  Please view their messages. 

The two first year students and two second year students are now having internship training.  

The Sendai YMCA President, Kato-san, reports the really amazing news that Kyoka, one of the second year students, will have a job with the Imperial Hotel after she graduates next year.  The Imperial Hotel in Tokyo is one of the most prestigious hotels in Japan.

Kato-san is spending lots of hours visiting high schools to recruit new students for next year as usual.  He tells teachers "the result of the scholarship students and asks them to tell their students to use our scholarship and not to give up their future."

Thank you all again for making this possible! 

Links:

• Message from New Student Ayaka
• Message from New Student Ikumi
• Sendai YMCA Hotel School Facebook Page