24 Replies to "Proposing a West Seattle-wide fundraiser for Japan: Who's in?"

• kate March 16, 2011 (2:08 pm)

  Hi Karla-I can donate some of my art for an auction item. A lot of the decorative papers I collage with come from Japan. Feel free to email me kateendle@earthlink.net.

• Camo March 16, 2011 (2:44 pm)

  Hi Karla, great ideas! As far as schools, maybe classes from different schools could do group art collaborations that could be auctioned off, or displayed and sold on the walls at participating restaurants, etc during the a dine out event. I know I would love for my kids to participate in a meaningful and empathetic way. Our coop preschool class did a collage project for our school fundraiser which turned out beautiful.

  Also, one of the hot auction items at that fundraiser was one class put together home emergency preparedness kits in large Tupperware containers applicable for our area. It was great because students and parents could contribute by buying individual items off a checklist. These boxes got a lot of bids–everybody wants to be prepared but actually getting it into action is easier said than done!
   

• MindDrive March 16, 2011 (2:59 pm)

  This is a GREAT idea! I can perform music for an event. I have connections to a venue or two if we want to go that route. When did you have in mind?

• jbar March 16, 2011 (3:03 pm)

  Came across this article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy today, reposted from the NYT.

  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/world/asia/16charity.html?_r=2&emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

• Pam March 16, 2011 (3:06 pm)

  Please be sure your own earthquake/emergency kit is ready at home and/or in you car first!

• Rod March 16, 2011 (3:17 pm)

  I’m also willing to donate live music performance and assist with organizing such a benefit. Or any benefit, really.

  • WSB March 16, 2011 (3:35 pm)

    Jbar, I share the concern about that … which is why you didn’t see us rushing immediately to slap up a bunch of links for any fundraiser that could be found … I think that with gauging interest, as Karla sought to do, there is time to see, as days/weeks go by, what is most needed. Somehow I doubt there is any scenario under which money wouldn’t be useful, at the very least, given the massive scale of this … money for who/what, that indeed has yet to emerge … after all, it’s only been five days since the quake. – TR

• D. Wulkan March 16, 2011 (3:57 pm)

  As heart wrenching and catastrophic as this tragedy is, I doubt money is what the Japanese people need at this point. It always makes me proud of our country that Americans want to help, will do anything to pitch in and help whenever it’s needed. But in my opinion what’s needed here most is specialized expertise. I’m sure the bloggers will take me to task for sharing this outlier opinion, that will be viewed by some as cynical and cold. For all the checks I sent to help Haiti, I feel ripped off by corrupt politicians and by all the companies who benefited from my money but never gave it to the people. The outcome in Haiti, even after the Clinton/Bush fundraising efforts has been inept, ineffectual, and ineffective. Yes, I realize Japan is not Haiti–they are a first world country, possibly in better economic shape than we are in. So as for me, I’ll keep the Japanese people in my heart and say a prayer while I do my morning meditations…meanwhile, I applaud Karla for what she is trying to achieve.

• sophista-tiki March 16, 2011 (4:33 pm)

  I work at the Japanese Community and Cultural Center for Western Washington. within hours of the event we had a community wide meeting of all Japanese affiliated organizations in our area. We have formed a comittee and have a website launched for donations
  seattlejapanrelief.com
  If you would like more specific information you may want to contact Kirsten henning, she is currently our interim ED at JCCCW

• alywest March 16, 2011 (4:50 pm)

  Camo, I would buy at least 2 if not more!
  That is a great idea for a fundraiser!

• Mookie March 16, 2011 (5:55 pm)

  Wonderful idea! I love the home emergency preparedness kits for use by locals; they raise money and get folks off the line about having a kit themselves. (Hadn’t even thought about asking employers if they match donations – another great avenue to pursue.)
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  I’m not sure, however, that donating items to ship to Japan is as useful as donating monies raised to the agencies on the ground there such as Shelterbox, Red Cross, and Second Harvest Japan.
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  This week, an American expat in Japan mentioned that, unless things have changed (note that Second Harvest’s website hasn’t been updated since the 13th), they’re not accepting shipments of materials up north, and have asked people NOT to try to send them clothes, food, etc. I believe (and this is just my understanding) that the idea is that people should donate funds to them, or Red Cross, etc., who will then buy things locally in bulk and bring them up, far reducing the amount of man-hours involved in sorting individual donations. They could use, and are asking for, monetary donations though.
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  Just saw that 2nd Harvest Japan people are so busy that Microsoft Disaster Response along with AidMetrix Foundation put up a temporary Emergency Response portal for them with further updates on how to help (see the “Call to Action” section of this page.) The director of Second Harvest Japan communicated that 2HJ peeps are making truck runs from their warehouse in Tokyo to deliver goods directly to Sendai, and working with local food groups. “Financial donations will provide the quickest and most flexible response for the 2HJ team, as well as help them procure locally to help the economy recover more quickly.”
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  Verified relief agencies — who already have boots on the ground, and an established distribution network and volunteers — can purchase supplies in the areas of Japan not affected by the quake, helping Japanese businesses. What they could use is money to buy rice, diapers, medical supplies, gasoline, tents, chopsticks, water purification kits, flashlights, batteries, portable lanterns, heaters and stoves, sleeping bags, etc., and most of all: medicine. One doctor at a hospital was interviewed and it was heartbreaking – he’s surrounded by fragile elderly who were lucky to have escaped with their lives, but not their meds, and all he can currently give the people with high blood pressure after several days off their meds is: aspirin. Painkillers are in short supply in devastated areas. Antibiotics. Nurses at hospitals without electricity were putting pebbles into plastic bottles so the patients could rattle the bottles, because the call buttons don’t work.
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  Right now I can’t ship a whole case Warfarin, or even a camping tent and stove myself, but I am grateful I can contribute even a little to Red Cross and Shelterbox. With so many homes destroyed along the eastern coast of Japan, one Shelterbox contains a 10-person capacity tent, insulated groundsheets, thermal blankets, a children’s pack of coloring books and pens/crayons, a basic tool kit containing a hammer, axe, saw, trenching shovel, hoe head, pliers and wire cutters; eating utensils, and a multi-fuel portable stove! Even tiny donations help purchase the contents of the boxes. Maybe school kids would enjoy raising funds to purchase a Shelterbox or two, and be able to track its unique number to learn about the people who receive it!

• Mikim March 16, 2011 (7:01 pm)

  I am going to Uwajimaya to donate for JCCCW tomorrow on Thursday. I also plan to go to the resturaunts that our donating their sales/profits for Japan.
  But I would love to be more involved in a fundraising event.
  Please let me know.
  Thank you

• Monica Skov March 16, 2011 (7:29 pm)

  Karla, West Seattle Fabric Company would love to help with this, I’ll e-mail you privately with some ideas. I cannot even watch the tv because it’s so heartbreaking. I’d love to be a part of it. Monica

• hatcher March 16, 2011 (9:40 pm)

  I would definitely support, especially if restaurants are involved. A ‘ dine out for japan’ kind of idea. Love it!

  And actually I think they need money. I have read much information that says that in detail. In regards to haiti, the money is still there and waiting for good leadership. They want to use it right.

• CeeBee March 16, 2011 (10:08 pm)

  I gave $ today via the Boeing link they just set up. I think the corporate match idea if money is raised is great. WS gathers money, and it is contributed to response agencies via corporate giving, and they match it as part of their normal program. I’ll verify tomorrow that this special effort does indeed have a corporate match.

• 22blades March 17, 2011 (1:52 am)

  …just returned from a long 6 days in Tokyo. Just my opinion: I’m not sure how money helps but the effort, thoughts and prayers do. This is when their government is injecting millions of dollars (eqvlnt)into the effort. If you listen to the average citizen in the exclusion zone,it is information, accountability and action that is wanted. Make sure, no, demand that your organizations and government are really getting the resources to where they’re needed. The people there are desperate and furious of the press conferences of apologies, vague details and self congratulations. As we sat there in our hotel rooms bolting up for every aftershock for 6 days and watching the dismal press coverage, our corporation sent a representative “in support”. Nowhere to be found, we finally tracked him down to the local restaurants and bars. Nice on a future resume’ but appalling behavior. Demand that the help actually gets there instead of some marketing firm or padding someone’s resume’. Again, just my opinion.
  P.S. r.e. Haiti reference: You shouldn’t have to “wait for good leadership”. People are dieing right now.

  • WSB March 17, 2011 (2:13 am)

    Thanks, 22 – glad you are back safely … TR

• Magpie March 17, 2011 (8:40 am)

  My company is doing a corporate match up to (I think) 30k but just to the Red Cross. Maybe some of the West Seattle wide garage sales could donate a percentage in May or if someone wants to organize a rummage sale, I’m in for donating stuff…or for an auction…or maybe something during next month’s art walk?

• christy March 17, 2011 (9:42 pm)

  Please don’t collect food/clothing or other items to try to send over. It probably won’t get to where it’s needed and may even be thrown away. What they really need is money. All the agencies will tell you this.

• Carl Hensman March 17, 2011 (11:20 pm)

  I’m posting on behalf of my wife, Karla, the lady mentioned in the blog posting. She just got back from a business trip and checked the westseattleforjapan@gmail.com inbox and was blown away by the response. There’s already commitments from business such as the Feedback Lounge, Bin 41 and West5 and schools are gearing up to help.
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  Karla’s currently try to figure out her next steps which will be aligning this effort with an experienced non-profit to start moving forward, in her words, quickly, responsibly and transparently.
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  She’s been contacted by WorldVision (http://www.worldvision.org/#/home/main/quake-tsunami-devastate-japan-1-1360) and the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington (http://www.jcccw.org/) and will start looking to them for guidance as to the best vehicle for any funds raised.
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  I was surprised at how deeply Karla was impacted by the Japanese Earthquake, and while she’s always been philanthropic, this is the first time she’s initiated something like this. Be reassured she’s a business woman who works for a fortune 500 company, has ninja style organizational skills, intimately understands how small pieces fit together to make something multiplicative larger and is a mother of a 5 year-old. Her only interest here is to sound a rallying cry and contribute something positive to a terrible sequence of tragedies.

  • WSB March 17, 2011 (11:28 pm)

    Thanks, Carl, I got e-mail as well and intend to post separately as comments don’t have the visibility of a new item in a case like this (though I’m always surprised that people DO go back and check in!) – looking forward to seeing how this morphs and helping promote it – TR

• Carl Hensman March 17, 2011 (11:46 pm)

  Thank you and the WSB Tracy. Your post put her in the hot seat and was a great shout out to the community. I just hope that she gets some sleep tonight.

• Jena March 18, 2011 (6:53 am)

  I am pretty sure the West Five is having one on the 27th and it will involve several restaurants in the Junction. Someone should contact Dave Montoure if they want to become involved.

  • WSB March 18, 2011 (7:14 am)

    Thanks, Jena, I don’t see that it’s been announced publicly anywhere yet (just looked at their FB page etc.) but we’ll make sure Karla sees your comment …

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