Skip to main content
Devastated, but determined: W&M effort to aid Japan
A dozen Â鶹Æƽâ°æ students, faculty and staff have joined forces to create an easy, user friendly website for people who wish to donate to assist relief and recovery efforts in Japan.
The , launched today, serves as an international tool providing short- and long-term assistance following the recent earthquake and tsunami. The website contains vital information about a slew of organizations that are assisting with the relief efforts.
According to , associate professor of history and co-director of the East Asian Studies program, the committee simultaneously developed after the devastation that struck northern Japan on March 11. Faculty within , staff from the , and students, including the and , started asking, “What are we going to do about it?”
“We all have a feeling of devastation, but also a determination to help Japan,” said Kitamura. On Tuesday, committee members met to begin coordinating their efforts. Their first thought was to set up a fund and start collecting donations, but for the sake of time, they decided to hold on a relief fund and serve as a communications tool for those wishing to donate.
The group is just beginning to organize, said Kitamura, but this is the first of many stages for W&M recovery efforts. They hope to extend their reach and are actively thinking of new ways to reach the College community.
Isshin Teshima ’11, committee member and co-president of the Japanese Cultural Association, said Â鶹Æƽâ°æ students have every intention of continuing the recovery efforts for the long haul.
“Right now, we’re focused on what we can do in the short-term and getting as much help to Japan as possible,” said Teshima. “The devastation in Japan is a problem that won’t be solved by the end of this semester, nor in a couple of years.”
For more information or to get involved with the W&M Japan Recovery Initiative, contact Hiroshi Kitamura at 757.221.3740 or hxkita@wm.edu.