Journal Articles

Omatsuri under the Moon
By: Shaun Dubin

The ACCJ 2010 “Moonlight Matsuri” Charity Ball is sure to get everyone in a celebratory mood.

The ACCJ 2010 “Moonlight Matsuri” Charity Ball will be held on Friday, December 3, 2010 at The Westin Tokyo Hotel in Ebisu starting at 6:30 pm. Tickets are 20,000 per person before October 29^th and 22,500 yen thereafter. This year’s theme is “Moonlight Matsuri,” a multicultural celebration to reflect the convergence of many global leaders to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to be held in Yokohama, Japan in late November. The Ball will include a silent auction, live auction and raffle in a Japanese omatsuri-like setting with live entertainment to dance the night away.

The annual ACCJ Charity Ball is always the most anticipated event of the holiday season. It marks the unofficial end of the business year for the international community and is a celebration all of the good times, and hard times, experienced by everyone throughout the year. The Charity Ball is also attended by some of the most influential people in Japan, including the U.S. Ambassador and his wife.

The ACCJ Charity Ball Committee works closely with the Community Service Advisory Council, which carries out the ACCJ’s philanthropic efforts. All financial donations in excess of costs will be donated to the following primary charities:

Tokyo English Life Line (“TELL”) is a multifaceted, nonprofit organization that has been serving the international and Japanese communities since 1973. TELL Life Line offers free, anonymous telephone counseling and information, 365 days/year. TELL Counseling provides assessments, counseling, and psychotherapy by licensed professionals to adults and couples. TELL Children and Families provides coordinated assessments, testing, counseling and therapy, to children, teens, and families with problems related to development and emotional growth. TELL also offers workshops, many outreach activities including Child Protection Services, support to families with special needs children and suicide workshops. Read more at www.telljp.com.

The Seishonen Fukushi (Youth Welfare) Centre provides support to young adults ranging from 15 to 20 years of age who have been abused or abandoned, by teaching them self-reliance either in their school or in their job, and to provide follow-up care through counseling and other support. It also serves as a transition home for children who can no longer stay in government funded children’s homes. The Centre counsels these young adults and assists them in finding jobs to help prepare them for the outside world. Funds donated to the Centre will be used for basic needs such as food and shelter and recreational activities such as outdoor sports events, art classes and educational field trips to various parts of Japan. The center was founded in 1958 and you can learn more at (http://www.wfc.or.jp/).

The ACCJ Mike Makino Fund for the Homeless is a fund maintained by the ACCJ for charities that focus on helping the homeless in Japan. In the past, the Mike Makino Fund has financially supported the Tokyo Union Church and the Franciscan Chapel Center, both of which sponsor projects to feed the homeless temporarily residing in the parks in and around Tokyo. The Fund also supports the Sanyukai Homeless Center which provides medical care by volunteer doctors, mental and physical care as well as food, clothing and shelter to the homeless. The ACCJ Mike Makino Fund was named after the ACCJ’s dear friend Shojiro (Mike) Makino who passed away suddenly on October 10, 2009 at the age of 80. Mike’s legacy lives on in the newly named ACCJ Mike Makino Fund for the Homeless in his honor.

 

The ACCJ Charity Ball “Moonlight Matsuri” is an evening not to be missed!
By: Barbara Hancock and Ginger Griggs

The countdown clock is ticking! Following September’s successful Charity Walkathon, The Charity Ball Committee recently our first Charity Ball “Wine Taste-off”. This event, held on September 29th at the Wesley Center, included vendors from four Tokyo-based wine companies vying for the opportunity to supply the wines served at the Charity Ball. The “Taste-off” was a great event in itself, and the winner, Hotei Wines, will be providing us with some selections to accompany the fabulous meal being prepared for you by the Westin’s impeccable chef.

“Moonlight Matsuri” is the theme of this year’s Charity Ball and will elegantly invoke the fun and festivities of this unique Japanese celebration. The ball, always the most anticipated event of the holiday season, will be held on Friday, December 3, 2010 at the Westin Tokyo Hotel in Ebisu. In addition to fine wines and fabulous cuisine, a host of activities and amusements throughout the evening will be sure to keep you entertained.

Opening the evening, a Chindonya Troupe will greet you at our festive reception. During dinner, you’ll be entertained by Shunsuke Kimura, one of the most acclaimed composers and performers on traditional instruments in Japan. Afterwards, you’ll dance the night away to the music of an incredible band organized by Mike Price.

Your entire Charity Ball Committee, chaired by Barbara Hancock and vice-chaired by Ginger Griggs and Pat Elleven, is working hard to bring you a truly memorable evening. In addition to providing our membership with this festive opportunity to bring the year to a close, all of us in the ACCJ are also committed to making this a night of support to our primary charities. In that spirit, we’d like to take this opportunity to again thank our ACCJ member companies for your continued generous support of this worthy cause in spite of these challenging economic times. It’s due to your continued support that we can all take great pride in continuously raising the bar in this worthwhile effort.

All monetary donations in excess of costs will be donated by the ACCJ to the following primary charities:

Tokyo English Life Line (“TELL”) is a multifaceted, nonprofit organization that has been serving the international and Japanese communities since 1973. For further details, please refer to the TELL website (www.telljp.com).

The Seishonen Fukushi (Youth Welfare) Centre provides support to young adults ranging from 15 to 20 years of age who have been abused or abandoned. To learn more about this organization, check out their website (http://www.wfc.or.jp/).

The ACCJ Mike Makino Fund for the Homeless is a fund maintained by the ACCJ for charities that focus on helping the homeless in Japan. The ACCJ Mike Makino Fund was named after the ACCJ’s dear friend Shojiro (Mike) Makino who passed away suddenly on October 10, 2009 at the age of 80. Mike’s legacy lives on in the newly named ACCJ Mike Makino Fund for the Homeless in his honor.

Charity Ball ticket fliers will be available at all events and the ACCJ website and office. Sign up by October 31^st for the early bird discount of 20,000 yen per person.