This post was written by Hatchet reporter Clara Pak.
Students gathered in Kogan Plaza Monday evening to raise funds and lift hope for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan in mid-March.
The relief fundraiser, called “Hope for Japan,” kicked off the Japanese American Student Alliance’s efforts to support the Japanese people through fundraising and other activities.
Emi Kamemoto, president of JASA, emphasized the unity and calm resilience of the Japanese people in the face of adversity.
“Japan needs our help. But there is hope because Japan’s a hopeful place,” Kamemoto, a junior, said to the people in attendance.
So far, JASA has raised $1,234 – excluding the funds raised on Monday night – which will be donated to Habitat for Humanity Japan and Red Cross Japan.
The fundraiser included a variety of activities, such as writing messages of hope on the Japanese flag, which would be sent to the Japan Self-Defense Forces to uplift and encourage them. Attendees also made origami cranes in honor of an ancient Japanese legend that says folding one thousand origami cranes has the power to heal.
Hope for Japan t-shirts and wristbands as well as flavored shaved ice, a Japanese dessert, were sold to contribute to the relief effort.
“I’m so thankful the whole GW community – administrators, students, faculty – for lending their support. Without them, none of this could come to fruition,” Kamemoto said.
University President Steven Knapp came to the event to show his support for GW’s 600 Japanese alumni and the 30 students from Japan currently studying on campus.
“I’ve always emphasized a lifelong, world-wide community here at GW, and this a sign of that,” Knapp said.
The Caribbean Student Association and the Organization of Latino American Students joined JASA for Monday night’s event, raising support and awareness for the Haitian and Chilean earthquakes of 2010.
“We’re also collecting donations for past natural disasters because as most of you know, Chile, Haiti, China and Pakistan, these places have been devastated and despite the media not covering them anymore, they still need our help,” Kamemoto said.
JASA is working with the University to begin a “Swipe for Japan” campaign that would allow students to use their GWorlds to donate to the disaster relief efforts.
Kamemoto said the organization aims to fundraise for continued relief efforts every year on the anniversary of the Japanese quake.
“Japan is still going to need support 5, 10 years down the line. A destroyed city will take years to rebuild,” Kamemoto said.
