Thanks to the efforts of many volunteers and the support of the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco and numerous community partners, JETAANC’s Japan Relief Benefit was a great success, raising over $7,000 for relief and recovery efforts in Japan. In addition, JETAANC received a donation of over $1,800 from the PiQ Japan Relief Benefit event held in Berkeley on March 21. A special thank you to alumna Caroline Bahr, Iwate-ken, for organizing the PiQ event.
We are especially grateful to Consul General Hiroshi Inomata and the other distinguished Consular officials who took time out of their busy schedules to support the O! Izakaya event; O! Izakaya for generously donating their beautiful space and equipment; and the many organizations and individuals who donated prizes, time, and money to make the benefit a success.
KTVU News in San Francisco did a local TV news feature on the event, which was held in San Francisco Japantown’s O! Izakaya on March 23. The feature included an interview with alumnus Peter Weber, JET Program Coordinator for the Consulate.
Photos of the event by talented alumni Chris Ueda and Rene Jerez can be seen on JETAANC’s Flickr page.
If you weren’t able to come out, you can still donate! Click here.
We would like to recognize the following companies and organizations that made generous contributions and helped advertise the event:
Hotel Kabuki, http://www.hotelkabuki.com/
O! Izakaya, http://www.jdvhotels.com/dining/oizakaya
Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, http://www.sf.us.emb-japan.go.jp/
Japan Society of Northern California, http://www.usajapan.org/
Nakayoshi, http://www.nakayoshi.org
NEW PEOPLE, http://www.newpeopleworld.com/
Nobiru-kai, http://nobirukai.web.fc2.com/
Oakland Asian Cultural Center, http://oacc.cc/
The Oakland Athletics, http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/
Oakland-Fukuoka Sister City Association, http://www.oakland-fukuoka.org/
PiQ Café, http://www.piqberkeley.com/
UC Berkeley’s Cal Japan Club, http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~cjc/
University of San Francisco’s Japan Policy Research Institute, http://www.usfca.edu/pacificrim/#JPRI
Speck Products, http://www.speckproducts.com/
California Academy of Science, http://www.calacademy.org/
Republic of Tea, http://www.republicoftea.com/
Cooking Wild Magazine, http://www.cookingwildmagazine.com/
Ozumo Sushi, http://www.ozumo.com/
Yamasho, http://www.yamasho-sf.com/
Sports Basement, http://www.sportsbasement.com/
Pika Pika, http://pikapikasf.com/
Aiko Designs, http://aikojewelry.com
The Independent, http://www.theindependentsf.com/
We also would like to thank the following JET alumni and friends who donated their time to help with the event and made donations to the raffle:
Rod McLeod, ALT 2005-07, Shimane; John Dzida ALT 2003-05, Kumamoto; Mark Frey, ALT 2002-06, Kumamoto; Laura Kumataka, CIR 2005-07, Miyagi; Rene Jerez, ALT 2008-10, Yamanashi; Dan Beaman, ALT 2008-10, Shimane; Melissa Chan, ALT 2005-07, Tokyo; Arisa Takahashi, ALT/CIR 1991-84, Nara; Lenore Espanola, ALT; 1988-90, Shimane; Ryan Moore, ALT 1997-2000, Kochi; Mike Shu, ALT 2005-08, Hyogo; Sabrina Ishimatsu, ALT 1994-97, Saga; Chris Ueda, ALT 1999-02, Oita; Anna Kaye, ALT 2006-09, Kumamoto; Andrew Hattori, CIR 2002-04, Miyazaki; Christine Aiko Beck, ALT 1996-98, Chiba; Evan Pike, ALT 2005-2008, Miyagi; Jaclyn Funasaki, ALT Fukuoka; 2006-08; Jonathan Slakey, ALT 2008-10, Miyazaki; Leah Cassidy, ALT 2005-07, Nagano; Mark Gaines, ALT 1997-2000, Chiba; Mike McGee, ALT 1995-97, Toyama; Paul Day, ALT 1995-98, Toyama; Sarah Swenty, ALT 2004-06, Gifu; Stacy Matsuura, ALT 2009-10, Ehime; Michelle McKeeve, ALT 1995-96, Niigata; Yulin Zhou, ALT 2006-10, Okayama; Yvette Powell, ALT 1992-94, Miyagi; Tomomi Glover, ALT 2000-03, Kumamoto; Ayumi Sohn, CIR 2003-05, Okinawa; Yoko Fugi, CIR 2001-03, Hiroshima; Hiroshi Inomata, Consulate General of Japan; Midori Yamamitsu, Consulate General of Japan; Hisako Takahashi, Consulate General of Japan; Carol Manilla, Friend of JET; Felicia Hoshino, Friend of JET; Ikue Weber, Friend of JET; Gary Mukai, Friend of JET; Naomi Di Lorenzo, Friend of JET