ACCJ COMMUNITY SERVICE

PAST CHARITY BALL CHARITIES

A Dream a Day in Tokyo
A Dream A Day began inviting terminally ill children and their families to visit Tokyo in 2007, and since then, we have hosted more than 70 children. During their visit, the children can fulfill dreams such as visiting Disneyland, seeing a sports event, or meeting with celebrities. Since our program includes medical staff for ambulatory care and emergency needs, we can cater to children with the most advanced symptoms, who would be unable to travel by their families’ efforts alone. Our focus on children in advanced disease stages makes us unique.

​​Beyond Tomorrow
BEYOND Tomorrow was established in June 2011 in response to the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami. Since 2015, BEYOND Tomorrow expanded its regional focus outside disaster-torn areas and started working with youths who have socioeconomic challenges. Since its inception, the organization has provided a number of scholarship and leadership opportunities to students facing adversity with outstanding leadership skills and has also organized a series of leadership programs. With the belief that adversity makes great leaders, BEYOND Tomorrow provides opportunities to transform one’s grief into abilities to serve others in need.

Children’s Shelter Okinawa

Children’s Shelter Okinawa provides a safe haven for children who have lost their homes due to abuse, delinquency, or poverty, targeting girls between the ages of 15 and 20.  By providing a safe and family- like environment the NPO’s aim is to protect the rights these children to grow and develop as normally as is possible. A lawyer is assigned to each child free of charge and a network of support services including counseling, support for expectant mothers, housing assistance, financial assistance and school and work support.

Fair Start Support
​Providing career training opportunities for high school students living in orphanages through company tours and work experience, Fair Start helps students identify appropriate work according to their interests. High school graduates who have been through the Fair Start program have a stronger sense of job roles and workplace relationships, resulting in much lower turnover rates. Fair Start not only works with the students but also identifies and visits all companies interested in being part of the program. Many of those who intern with a company become ultimately hired.

Good Neighbors Japan
“Good Gohan” provides assistance to the children of single-parent households facing poverty and a shortage of food. About one in two Japanese single-parent families are in relative poverty and need assistance. Good Neighbors Japan offers free food distribution to single-parent families in Tokyo’s Ota and Shinagawa Wards. This initiative provides mental and physical help by supporting the healthy growth of children, providing allowances for living expenses, and reducing the single parent’s isolation and mental burden.

Hands On Tokyo
Hands On Tokyo is an NPO that provides meaningful bilingual volunteer opportunities to foster volunteerism and develop leaders to serve the needs of our community. They aim for a society where each individual is valued, and where people proactively support each other. Poverty caused by the long-lasting COVID-19 pandemic has also hit the graduates of Children's Homes, who are obliged to leave the Homes and become independent at the age of 18.

​HELP Women’s Shelter
HELP (House of Emergency Love and Peace) was established in 1986 and is an emergency shelter that accepts women and children regardless of race, visa status, or nationality. HELP provides emergency housing relief and support to approximately 200 needy recipients annually. Just under 50% are from Japan with the remainder being mostly from other Asian countries (essentially Thailand, the Philippines, and Taiwan), some from developing nations such as Colombia and Iran, and a handful of women from the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

​Josei no Ie Saalaa
The House for Women ‘Saalaa’ is a non-profit organization established in 1992 with the purpose to help Thai Women victimized by human trafficking. It runs an emergency shelter as well as hotlines carried in 8 languages: Thai, Tagalog, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, English, Japanese. In the beginning, all the cases Saalaa dealt with were to support the return of the victims of human trafficking to their countries of origin, namely Thai, Columbia, the Philippines, Indonesia, etc. During the 26 years of Saalaa’s operation, the main reason for requesting assistance has changed and is now Domestic Violence toward foreign wives of Japanese and their children. Saalaa is providing assistance not only while the women and children reside at the shelter but also after they move out as they need help to organize their new way of life. In recent years, the women seeking assistance have come mainly from Asian and South American countries, occasionally from African and European countries.

​Kokoro - Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center
Kokoro was established in 1998 to educate schoolchildren in Japan about the importance of mutual respect using the lessons of the Holocaust. Through its outreach programs, Kokoro has given workshops & lectures at over 1,000 schools reaching an estimated 200,000 students aged between 10 and 18. “Hana’s Suitcase”, one of the programs Kokoro launched, now an international bestseller and an award-winning film, has been distributed to all of the UN Information Centers as an educational resource. While combating hate speech and racism becomes more and more a challenge we share everywhere, Kokoro continues its effort to help learners become responsible and active global citizens who value human dignity for all and reject discrimination and prejudice.

Kurumu

Kurumu supports mothers with low birthweight babies by providing specialized baby wears. 85,000 low birthweight babies are born every year in Japan, about 1 in 10 babies. They are treated in NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and are usually wearing only dippers where as other newborn babies are wearing baby clothes. By providing baby wears for low birthweight babies through hospitals and other methods, mothers find out they can clothes their babies in NICU giving them an opportunity to touch and interact. Mothers often blame themselves for their low birthweight babies but being able to take the clothes back to their home and wash them for a next day can give a peace of mind to them. Kurumu’s activity is to cooperate with hospitals and other firms to promote the low birthweight baby clothes exist and provide clothes to those who need them.

​Lighthouse
Founded in 2004, Lighthouse: Center for Human Trafficking Victims is the only non-profit organization in Japan specialized in working to realize a society without human trafficking, a modern form of slavery. Lighthouse runs a human trafficking hotline and provides direct intervention, counseling, and other support for human trafficking victims in Japan. In 2017, Lighthouse provided direct support to 192 people, most of them are children and teenagers. A majority of the victims were affected by sexual exploitation. The organization also focuses on awareness-raising and advocacy. Like a lighthouse that guides sailors to safe harbor in the dark, Lighthouse seeks to be the light of hope for human trafficking victims and to have many people support its cause.

​Living Dreams
Living Dreams’ (founded in 2001) new challenge in 2015 is Digital Natives. The organization’s vision is to become the new standard for 21st-century learning and living in Japan’s institutionalized children’s homes.

Most children have little (only 5%) access to technology. Enriching and enabling these children through access to the Internet and its tools is a world opener for many of these children. Recent statistics show that only 9% of kids from children’s homes attend university, compared to a national average of 50%. Having a choice is very important in life.

Living Dreams’ core focus during 2015 is to develop a 1-to-1 laptop/tablet program with a cloud-based ecosystem to enrich and enable the children we serve. Our ten pilot homes in Tohoku and Tokyo have been actively up-and-running since June 2014.

​Living in Peace
Living in Peace is a non-profit organization based in Tokyo run entirely by volunteers (no paid employees) with the goal of reducing poverty. Our Kodomo Project focuses on children who live in orphanages in Japan. We seek to give them a better chance in life by providing better living environments through funding to rebuild their buildings, by providing scholarships to enable the children to go to college, and by introducing them to different professions during our career sessions so that they can better envision their future career path.

Minna no Gohan

Helping the Homeless community of Tokyo since 2016. We ride where no one goes, to reach the few that need it the most. One by one, food for all.

Mirai no Mori
Mirai no Mori is a not-for-profit organization that creates life-changing outdoor programs for abused, neglected, and orphaned children in Japan, supporting their growth into happy and successful young adults. Mirai no Mori envisions a Japan where all youth have equal opportunities.

NGO Playground of Hope
Established after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of March 11, 2011, Playground for Hope creates safe play areas for children across the Tohoku region. To date, Playground for Hope has built more than 60 playsets and expanded into revitalizing play spaces affected by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes. The program has also begun assisting orphans aged 18, who are often on their own and face challenges finding work and living quarters. Playground for Hope helps these disadvantaged youth find full-time employment opportunities and offers counseling services to help them succeed.

Nonohana-no-ie (Wildflower House)
Founded in 1984, Nonohana-no-ie Children’s Home has provided a secure, home-like environment for hundreds of Japanese and non-Japanese children who are victims of child abuse, neglect, and other inhumane treatment. Based in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture, the facility currently accommodates about 40 children aged 2–18. Nonohana-no-ie acts as their second home, with each unit providing a warm, secure, family atmosphere. The group was recognized and awarded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization as well as the Prime Minister and Emperor of Japan

NPO Institute of Medical Care and Societal Health
The NPO Institute of Medical Care and Societal Health supported and run by volunteer doctors, plays a vital role in protecting and assessing Fukushima residents’ health. The people of Fukushima, after the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, still lack accurate information on radiation and there is a stigma attached to children and families from the Fukushima region. All the activities are run by doctors on a volunteer basis and expenses are out-of-pocket. Around 10 doctors come from outside the prefecture on a volunteer basis. This doctor-led NPO provides:

• Lectures on radiation to instill accurate information among residents (The NPO has provided over 100 lectures)
• Counseling for residents who are concerned about radiation
• Research to identify the health risks for residents
• Educational materials disseminated to the local community, students, teachers, and parents​

Safecast

Safecast is an international volunteer driven non-profit organization whose goal is to create useful, accessible, and granular environmental data. All Safecast data is published, free of charge, into the public domain under a CC0 designation.

Safecast was formed after the devastating earthquake and tsunami which struck eastern Japan on March 11, 2011. With the subsequent meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, accurate and trustworthy radiation information was publicly unavailable. Responding to this, Safecast was organized and quickly began monitoring, collecting, and openly sharing information on environmental radiation – growing quickly in size, scope, and geographical reach. Before long we began monitoring Air Quality as well. Our mission is to provide citizens worldwide with the tools they need to inform themselves by gathering and sharing accurate environmental data in an open and participatory fashion.

The value and credibility of Safecast data has been globally recognized. Our community is inclusive and non-partisan, comprising people of all ages and from all walks of life. Energetic outreach activities allow us to share our experiences with individuals and groups worldwide through frequent workshops, talks, and educational programs.

NPO Save Food
NPO SAVE FOOD provides cooked food to residents in the local community through the cafeteria “Commune,” where people can come and have meals together and connect with each other. Through this platform of connections, Commune has fostered a community where not only food but advice on job security is offered. In due course, the NPO helps foreigners who are faced with employment, discrimination, and Diversity & Inclusion issues.

SAVE FOOD needs financial support to meet demand. Specifically, to pay for transportation to pick up food donations, refrigeration and storage needs, reheating and preparation. As to advising foreigners on issues resolution, the NPO also needs funding to pay for subject matter experts. SAVE FOOD takes a leveraged approach where a single session with an expert can address many similar matters to save individual cost.

​Second Harvest
Second Harvest is the only nationwide food bank in Japan. Since its’ incorporation in March of 2002, Second Harvest has been working to improve food security for those in need while helping companies deliver their food donations to those in need. Food banks provide an alternative to destroying food that is still safe for human consumption. Food manufacturers, retailers, and importers have stocks of food they cannot sell. By donating them to Second Harvest they save money on disposal costs, increase employee morale, and make a positive impact in the community. Second Harvest is registered by the Japanese Government as a non-profit organization.

Introduction to Second Harvest

Sport for Smile
Sport for Smile, a non-profit organization dedicated to having a positive impact on the less fortunate and providing them access to sports. Support for Sport for Smile will be used for “Sports Mentoring,” a program matching university students to elementary ones from DV (Domestic Violence) homes. Mentors provide a secure environment for these young students so that eventually they are brought out of PTSD, smile, and start to participate fully. The goal of the program is to empower them by creating a loving and supportive environment outside of their homes, creating support that will help them into the future. The program also benefits the mothers/parent of DV children, who have lived with too much pressure to raise and protect their kids solely by themselves.

​Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund
Taylor Anderson was teaching English in the coastal city of Ishinomaki when the earthquake and tsunami disaster struck Japan on March 11, 2011. The young 24-year-old American woman had long wanted to become a bridge between the United States and Japan, a country that intrigued her since childhood. Her dream was realized by becoming an assistant language teacher under the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. Taylor taught at kindergartens and elementary and junior high schools and was loved by her Japanese students because of her enthusiasm, dedication, and kindness. Although she was lost in the tsunami after helping to guide all her students to safety, Taylor’s inspiration and spirit live on.

Taylor’s parents, Andy and Jean, believed that she would have wanted them to carry on her dream and passion. They set about to help the children of Ishinomaki by creating reading corners in schools, inviting students to the United States, and implementing other projects. Alumni of Taylor’s high school, St. Catherine’s, in Virginia were instrumental in collecting initial funding. To continue implementing these projects, the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund was established by her parents and supporters in Japan in December 2013. In collaboration with nonprofit and other organizations engaging in Tohoku recovery efforts, the primary mission of the fund is to help students; schools, and families in the Ishinomaki area recover from the earthquake and tsunami.

ACCJ President Emeritus Tom Whitson interviews Andy and Jean Anderson, founders of the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund. The ACCJ's Community Service Advisory Council has decided to offer annual support from the proceeds of the 2015 Charity Ball to the Fund, and this video tells you about the work and goals of the Fund.

TELL
​Established in 1973, TELL is a not-for-profit organization providing world-class mental health support and counseling services to Japan's international community and the community at large. TELL’s services include free phone counseling and information, professional face-to-face counseling, and educational workshops. In 2017 alone, the TELL Lifeline responded to over 7,500 calls for help, with call volume increasing year on year. TELL Counseling provided over 3,500 professional psychotherapy and counseling sessions, and TELL’s workshops and outreach programs provided training and support to hundreds in multiple settings, such as schools, businesses and NGOs.

Ukifune no Sato
Ukifune-no-Sato is a women-led organization in the nuclear accident and tsunami affected town of Odaka in Fukushima. They produce and sell handmade silk jewelry branded “MIMORONE” using locally-grown materials as a new livelihood opportunity for the local community. Funding will be used to produce the DVD/ exhibition panels for more effective sales promotion of “MIMORONE” silk jewelry at events during the summer/autumn festivals in Soma, Sendai and Tokyo and other events throughout the year. Profits from the silk jewelry sales are used to purchase the silkworms and to manage the mulberry fields as well as the production costs/personnel expenses.

US-Japan Bridging Foundation (in memory of ACCJ Board members Ira Wolf and Bob Grondine)
The United States-Japan Bridging Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was created in 1998 at the recommendation of the Japan-United States Friendship Commission to increase people-to-people exchange and student mobility between the U.S. and Japan. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Bridging Foundation has awarded $6,600,000 in scholarship grants to 1,900 American undergraduate students to study an academic year or semester in Japan. Bridging Scholars return to the U.S. with newly acquired language, culture fluency and global leadership skills that prepare them for the workforce in trade, diplomacy, education, STEM, and other sectors. American and Japanese corporate, foundation, individuals, and government partners support these next generation global leaders who will continue the legacy of strong U.S.-Japan relations. We are honored that the families, colleagues, and friends of Robert Grondine and Ira Wolf, former ACCJ leaders, have worked with the Bridging Foundation to create the Robert Grondine Memorial Bridging Scholarship and the Ira Wolf Memorial Bridging Scholarship. Two U.S. students, who exemplify their commitment to serving and strengthening the U.S.-Japan relationship, receive these distinguished scholarship grants each year.

​World Children’s Baseball Foundation
The World Children's Baseball Foundation was established in August 1992 as a non-profit organization. Activities commenced two years before the formal establishment of WCBF with the opening of the World Children's Baseball Fair. This major event was initiated by the world's two home-run kings - Japan's Sadaharu Oh and America's Hank Aaron. Their aim was to expand this wonderful sport, baseball, throughout the world and help children to learn the game. They also hoped this event would promote friendship among children and help to create a borderless world.

The first World Children's Baseball Fair was held in Los Angeles in the summer of 1990. Since then, the fair has been held annually in either Japan, the USA or Canada. Over 200 boys and girls from more than twenty nations and/or regions of the world are invited to each fair. In addition to the annual World Children's Baseball Fair, we also hold baseball clinics and coaching courses in Japan. Promoting a great sport like baseball is an important means of bringing up healthy young people and it introduces them to one of the best possible ways of using their leisure.

YouMeWe

YouMeWe is a Tokyo-based non profit organization that is solely dedicated to nurturing and supporting local students from institutionalized homes. For a decade, the NPO’s mission is to assist students in becoming fully independent as they reach the age of 18, such as gaining financial literacy.

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