From:
Maurice Maloney
President, JETAADC
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Dear JETAADC Member,
We appreciate your support and patience during this most difficult time. Over the past 6 days, the first priority of JETAADC has been to work with CLAIR and the Embassy to relay the status of JETs in the affected areas, and we hope you have found our updates informative and helpful. The JETAADC Board has also been working with leadership from other JETAA Chapters from across the US, and our JETAAUSA Country Representatives to mobilize a coordinated national JET response to the Earthquake in Japan.
Late on March 15, JETAAUSA officially announced the launch of the JETAA USA Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. The purpose of this fund is to bring the 19 U.S. chapters together in an organized and concerted effort to raise funds aimed at helping rebuild the affected areas in Japan. Instead of having 19 separate small funds, we felt that if we created a national initiative to drive fund-raising for Japan, it would bring together the JETAAUSA community and inspire more overall participation from JET alumni in America. JETAAUSA expects to use the money collected to assist not only with immediate short term emergencies but also long term rebuilding projects. PayPal has agreed to waive all transaction fees from March 11 to April 10. Please click the PayPal link below to donate. Click here to read more on the JETAAUSA website. (Please note, donations will be routed through the JETAANY website. JETAANY is a 501c3 non-profit organization, donations are tax-deductible, and 100% of the proceeds will go to relief and recovery organizations.).
At JETAADC, we see the relief effort not as a sprint to be completed as quickly as possible, but as a marathon, to be spread out and continued over time. The Tohoku region will be recovering for many years, and as an important part of the Japanese Community, JETAADC and JETAAUSA expects to be involved throughout the process, not just during the initial emergency phase.
That being said, we would also like to announce our first JETAADC fundraising event, which will be a town hall style meeting at L’Enfant Cafe & Bar (2000 18th Street NW, Washington DC) on Wednesday, March 23 from 6-8 pm. This event is to serve not only as a fundraiser to generate income for the JETAAUSA Earthquake Fund but also as a platform to meet other JETs and to discuss ideas about how we can develop consistent, high-quality events throughout the year to maintain awareness about the situation in Japan. There will be a suggested donation of $10 at the door and any monies collected will be donated to the JETAAUSA Earthquake Relief Fund. We will send out a proper invitation, and will be gauging attendance based on the response we receive, so please be sure to RSVP.
We thank you for your continued support, patience, and compassion and we look forward to seeing you at L’Enfant Cafe & Bar on Wednesday, March 23 at 8 PM. Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me or any member of the JETAADC Board.
Regards,
Maurice Maloney
President, JETAADC