A couple recent items from the AJET newsletter that may be of interest to our alumni:
AJET Tribute to Taylor Anderson
Our deepest sympathy goes out to the family and friends of Taylor Anderson, a 3rd year ALT in Miyagi prefecture. The loss of a JET community member is a devastating one and she will not be forgotten. She was a valuable member in her community and was dearly loved. With the permission of Taylor’s sister, we are asking JETs and community members to honor Taylor’s memory by sending postcards, letters, or notes to us to be shared on a blog that will be open to everyone. Submissions can be anonymous, but please feel free to share memories, thoughts or wishes about Taylor. Please send postcards or letters to Apt. 111, Haitsu Poronia, Katase 44-28-1, Katsuyama-shi, Fukui-ken, 911-0811.
Taylor’s high school has established the Taylor Anderson ’04 Memorial Gift Fund. All money raised will be given in Taylor’s memory to benefit the relief efforts in Japan, hopefully to help with the rebuilding of the schools in the region where Taylor taught.
Our thoughts and prayers are also with the friends and family of Monty Dickson, a JET still missing in Tohoku. Please keep them in your thoughts.
Tohoku Disaster Information & Relief Efforts
How Have You Contributed to the Earthquake/Tsunami Relief Efforts? Send pictures with English descriptions/stories to webmaster@ajet.net and it will be published on AJET Press. Pictures can be submitted anonymously or be attributed, according to the author’s preference.
3000 letters for Japan “3000 Letters for Japan” is a letter-writing project created by Gunma JET, Jessie Zanutig, directed to students in Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima prefectures who were affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami. Thousands of people around the world are writing letters and drawing pictures of hope and love and mailing them to Japan to be distributed to children who can use a smile right now.
Want to participate? Pull out your stationary and crayons, stickers and stamps and start writing! Mail your colourful letters to Jessie in Gunma and she will ensure they are delivered. Visit the project’s facebook page for details and ‘like’ it to participate and stay up-to-date as the letters roll in. Share this project with your friends around the world and get them writing! Let’s help reach and far surpass 3000 letters! Collectively we can make a difference.
Hope Letters: Sharing hope from overseas to Japan Hope Letters has received more than 3,000 letters of hope and support from people around the world since March 11th, 2011. Many of these letters have been translated into Japanese and are available for you to download or view online. As students across Japan return for a new school term, many will wonder what the future holds. Hope Letters invites you to be a spokesperson of hope by bringing these letters, written by students for students, into your classrooms, staff rooms or common areas. You can also organize a language lesson or activity around the letters. Visit hopeletters.org.