ACCJ Community Service
2017 Mercedes-Benz - Cole Haan Cup Golf Tournament
The 15th annual, Mercedes-Benz - Cole Haan Cup (held on October 6, 2017) raised 928,000 yen for the YMCA Challenged Children Project. The ACCJ thanks the CCCJ and the EBC for their joint cooperation.
2017 Charity Ball Charities
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Mike Makino Fund
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; and food, clothing, and shelter to the homeless. The ACCJ Mike Makino Fund for the Homeless was named in honor of the ACCJ’s dear friend Shojiro (Mike) Makino who passed away suddenly on October 10, 2009 at the age of 80. Through this fund, Mike’s legacy lives on. Tokyo Union Church is a recipient of charity donations from the ACCJ Mike Makino Fund for the Homeless. The ACCJ Mike Makino Fund for the Homeless and the ACCJ Community Service Fund support various charities with monies collected at the annual ACCJ Charity Ball. In this video, ACCJ President Emeritus Tom Whitson interviews Paul Fukuda, coordinator of the TUC Mission for our Homeless Neighbors, on the history and current status of TUC's riceball program.
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Volunteers with the Sanyukai Center reaching out to the homeless.
Katherine Hall of the Franciscan Chapel Center, an ACCJ Mike Makino Fund recipient charity, explains how ACCJ members can get involved in their efforts to help Shibuya's homeless.
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Community Service Fund
The Community Service Fund is a Board-run fund with the mission to administer the contributions of the ACCJ members in support of worthy community service projects. These projects include activities of the American business family and youth communities as well as selected Japanese social welfare organizations. The purpose of the grants is to assist in the community service goals of the recipients.
The Community Service Fund is a Board-run fund with the mission to administer the contributions of the ACCJ members in support of worthy community service projects. These projects include activities of the American business family and youth communities as well as selected Japanese social welfare organizations. The purpose of the grants is to assist in the community service goals of the recipients.
Charity Ball Fund
The following charities receive funds directly from the total proceeds of the Charity Ball raffle ticket, silent auction and live auction sales, minus expenses.
The following charities receive funds directly from the total proceeds of the Charity Ball raffle ticket, silent auction and live auction sales, minus expenses.
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YMCA Challenged Children Project – YMCA-ACCJ Ohisama Camp
The YMCA Challenged Children Project (CCP) began in 1987 in cooperation with the National Council of YMCAs of Japan and the Tokyo YMCA. The CCP’s goals are (1) to support the development of challenged children through camp activities, to develop self-confidence and skills for independent living and learning and to support facilities for the challenged; and (2) to support and promote integration into mainstream society by holding friendship camps and to provide experience and training for current and future volunteers and professionals. |
ACCJ President Emeritus Tom Whitson interviews Nick Masee (Managing Director, Asian Tigers Mobility), Nobu Seki (Executive Director, Foreign Community Supporting Committee, The National Council of YMCAs of Japan), and Tetsuo Murofushi (Foreign Community Supporting Committee, The National Council of YMCAs of Japan) who explain how the YMCA-ACCJ Ohisama Camp makes a difference to the lives of challenged children and their families.
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Second Harvest – http://2hj.org/english/about/goal.html
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. Living in Peace – https://www.kodomo.living-in- peace.org/about-us Living in Peace is 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. Mirai no Mori – https://mirai-no- mori.jp/about-us/ 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. 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 |
Above: Introduction to Second Harvest
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2016 Mercedes-Benz - Cole Haan Cup Golf Tournament
The 14th annual, Mercedes-Benz - Cole Haan Cup (held on October 7, 2016) raised 757,320 yen for the YMCA Challenged Children Project. The ACCJ thanks the CCCJ and the EBC for their joint cooperation.
Kyushu Update (July 2016)
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The ACCJ made the following contributions to organizations involved in the Kyushu recovery efforts:
NPO United Earth - ¥570,000 Kizuna Project - ¥570,000 NPO United Earth (http://united-earth.jp/) is involved in disaster recovery in the Aso and Minamiaso areas. Kizuna Project (http://kizuna-project.jp/) provides mental care and therapy for children in affected areas. We thank everyone who contributed to the ACCJ Kyushu Earthquake Fund and encourage our members to continue supporting Kyushu recovery efforts. |
NPO United Earth
Kizuna Project
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Past Charity Ball Charities
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.
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.
Lighthouse Japan
Founded in 2004, Lighthouse: Center for Human Trafficking Victims (formerly Polaris Project Japan) 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. As of 2014, Lighthouse has provided consultations to more than 3,800 people and direct support to over 200 people. 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.
Founded in 2004, Lighthouse: Center for Human Trafficking Victims (formerly Polaris Project Japan) 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. As of 2014, Lighthouse has provided consultations to more than 3,800 people and direct support to over 200 people. 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 choice is very important in life.
Living Dreams’ core focus during 2015 is to develop a 1-to-1 laptop/tablet program 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 from June 2014.
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 choice is very important in life.
Living Dreams’ core focus during 2015 is to develop a 1-to-1 laptop/tablet program 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 from June 2014.
Nonohana-no-ie (Wildflower House)
Founded in 1984, Nonohana-no-ie Children's Home is a children's home located not far from the coast in the city of Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture. It has provided a secure home-like environment for hundreds of Japanese and non-Japanese children, who are the victims of child abuse, neglect, and other inhumane treatment.
The facility currently accommodates approximately 40 children aged 2-18. Nonohana-no-ie Children's Home acts as the children's second home, with each unit providing a warm, secure, family condition. The group's efforts and contribution to the promotion of children's welfare were recognized and awarded by UNESCO (a division of the UN) as well as by the Prime Minister of Japan and the Emperor of Japan.
Founded in 1984, Nonohana-no-ie Children's Home is a children's home located not far from the coast in the city of Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture. It has provided a secure home-like environment for hundreds of Japanese and non-Japanese children, who are the victims of child abuse, neglect, and other inhumane treatment.
The facility currently accommodates approximately 40 children aged 2-18. Nonohana-no-ie Children's Home acts as the children's second home, with each unit providing a warm, secure, family condition. The group's efforts and contribution to the promotion of children's welfare were recognized and awarded by UNESCO (a division of the UN) as well as by the Prime Minister of Japan and the Emperor of Japan.
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 lives 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.
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 lives 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.
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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.
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Tokyo English Life Line (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 2011 alone, the TELL Lifeline responded to nearly 6,000 calls for help, TELL Counseling provided over 3,200 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.
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2017 Charity Ball Proceeds
Total proceeds: ¥8,500,000 Charities donated to and amounts: ACCJ-YMCA Ohisama Camp – ¥2,000,000 Franciscan Chapel Center – ¥750,000 Sanyukai Homeless Shelter – ¥750,000 Tokyo Union Church Mission for Our Homeless Neighbors (MOHN) – ¥750,000 Second Harvest – ¥1,000,000 Living in Peace – ¥1,000,000 Mirai no Mori – ¥1,000,000 NPO Institute of Medical Care and Social Health – ¥600,000 ACCJ Community Service Fund - ¥650,000 Donations made on Wednesday, December 25, 2017 |
2016 Charity Ball Proceeds
Total proceeds: ¥9,000,000 Charities donated to and amounts: ACCJ-YMCA Ohisama Camp – ¥2,000,000 Franciscan Chapel Center – ¥500,000 Sanyukai Homeless Shelter – ¥500,000 Tokyo Union Church Mission for Our Homeless Neighbors (MOHN) – ¥500,000 Nonohana-no-ie (Wildflower House) – ¥1,500,000 HELP Women's Shelter – ¥1,500,000 Tokyo English Life Line – ¥1,500,000 ACCJ Community Service Fund – ¥1,000,000 Donations made on Wednesday, December 21, 2016 |
2015 Charity Ball Proceeds
Total proceeds: ¥11,950,000 Charities donated to and amounts: ACCJ-YMCA Ohisama Camp – ¥3,000,000 Franciscan Chapel Center – ¥750,000 Sanyukai Homeless Shelter – ¥750,000 Tokyo Union Church Mission for Our Homeless Neighbors (MOHN) – ¥750,000 Lighthouse Japan – ¥1,500,000 Living Dreams – ¥1,500,000 Taylor Anderson Fund – ¥1,500,000 ACCJ Community Service Fund – ¥2,200,000 |
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2014 Charity Ball Proceeds
Total amount raised for charity: ¥10,943,064 Charities donated to and amounts: ACCJ-YMCA Ohisama Camp – ¥2,000,000 Franciscan Chapel Center – ¥750,000 Sanyukai Homeless Shelter – ¥750,000 Tokyo Union Church Mission for Our Homeless Neighbors (MOHN) – ¥750,000 JKSK – ¥1,500,000 Smiling Hospital Japan – ¥1,500,000 Taylor Anderson Fund – ¥1,500,000 ACCJ Community Service Fund – ¥2,193,064 |