Port, Japan Kiwanis Clubs Connect in Unique Way

The tragedy might be out of mainstream media — but that doesn't mean the incident floated off everyone's radar.

The recently connected with a Kiwanis club halfway around the world, with the intention of helping victims of the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

It was club member Angel Tello who "suggested we should do something," Kiwanis member Jerry Wiskow said in an e-mail.

The Kiwanis International Headquarters supplied the group with a contact to a Kiwanis club in Tokyo, and Port Kiwanis was able to raise $800 to send overseas.

"Our club foundation (which handles our philanthropic endeavors) matched what our members donated, and then the club board (from our administrative funds) also matched the funds donated by our members," Wiskow said. "I headed it up and brought in a big jar to several meetings for the donations."

The Kiwanis club in Tokyo sent the following response as a thank you for the donation:

Dear Port Washington Kiwanis,

Thank you very much for the generous contribution.
We received 60,060 Yen (after converting to Japanese Yen and deducting 1,500 Yen of bank charge) on August 1, 2011. We will make sure that this precious gift be used in the most efficient way to serve the children in the affected areas.

Attached, please find a photo. It was taken at a meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Tokyo.

Although we still have aftershocks from time to time, life in Tokyo is getting almost back to normal.

However, the afflicted areas such as Iwate and Miyagi are still at a loss. The debris are just too many to be taken away, and not enough shelters are built for the evacuees yet. As you know, the problem of the damaged nuclear power plant is yet to be solved.

With your precious donation, we will do our best to support the victims, especially children. Thank you again.