On March 11, when an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and its accompanying tsunami hit Sendai, Japan, the reverberations reached halfway across the world to Park City.
Tokyo native Keiko Ito, a long-time Spanish and Japanese teacher for most of the Park City public and private schools, began getting phone calls and text messages.
“People started calling me to see if my family was safe,” said Ito, who is known as “Miss Keiko” to her students. “I got a lot of emails as well, from people asking me what they could do to help.”
While she had no immediate relatives who were affected by the disasters, the outpouring of concern spurred Ito to come up with a plan to help the thousands of victims in her homeland.
Because she has taught in most the Park City public and private schools, Ito decided to enlist the help of her students and their families.
“I wanted everyone to be united,” she said. “That’s where I came with the name ‘Park City Unites for Japan.'”
At first she thought of establishing a bank account, but decided to make the project more personal.
“I did know from the beginning that Japan needs money more than anything, but I wanted a win-win situation for the country and for the people here in Park City,” Ito said. “I thought of doing a fundraiser to help let the people in Japan know we are thinking of them.”
That idea led Ito to a more personal project.
“Each school has its own logo, and I envisioned kids in Japan wearing the words ‘Park City,'” she said. “So I came up with a plan to have all the elementary schools and PTA’s donate whatever leftover school sweatshirts or other spirit wear they have to the cause.”
The clothes would then be available for the younger classes to purchase through money donations.
“Each class has their own donation jar,” Ito said. “The students can pitch in how much they want or can, and when the funds in the jar reach $20, they can purchase one of the donated sweatshirts that will be packaged and shipped to Japan.”
In addition, the funds in the donation jars will be put into a school donation jar, she said. “At the end, all the schools’ donation jars will be combined into a great big community fund that will be donated to the Red Cross,” Ito explained. “That way, the people in Japan will get the money and clothing that show Park City is thinking about them.”
To reward the classes for their donations, photographs or cut out drawings will be posted in the schools.
Older students in the middle schools and high schools will be able to raise money through fundraisers of their own choice, Ito said.
“In the end, we’ll put their money in the community fund as well,” she said.
While students and their parents can donate through the schools, Ito said she would prefer anyone in the Park City community who doesn’t have children who want to help should donate directly to the Red Cross.
“There are so many organizations asking for money to donate to Japan, but the Red Cross is the organization of choice for the Japanese government,” she said. “The Red Cross gives the government the money and, in turn, the government decides where the money will go.”
While it’s nice that people all over the world want to donate clothing, food and other material, Japanese officials have said money is the best donation, Ito said.
“They need to fix the infrastructure and make temporary homes for all those who have been displaced,” she said.
The fundraising will last until the end of April or beginning of May, Ito said.
“After that, we’ll donate the money and I’ll take the clothes to Japan,” she said. “I have people who are donating money for shipping costs and other people are donating their flight miles to fly me to Japan.
“I want to get videos of the children there wearing the clothes, so the students in Park City can see with their own eyes how they have helped.”
The catch is, however, if Ito can actually get to Sendai.
“Yes, I can fly to Japan and I know I can head toward the area, but the major highways are damaged and the trains don’t reach the Sendai area right now,” she said. “So if I can’t get there, I have another idea.”
Ito used to run an international youth organization called Global Foundations Educational Programs, which brought Asian elementary-school-aged kids to Park City.
“Those kids are in high school now,” she said. “My Plan B would have them help me distribute the clothing.
“I am also waiting word from my alumni association in Japan, who is ready to help as well,” Ito said.
But Ito wants Park City residents to understand Japanese people usually don’t like to accept used goods or clothing.
“It’s a culture thing,” she said. “If people choose to donate used clothes, they need to know the Japanese people won’t wear the donations if there is a stain on them, or if the material is frayed. There are no consignment stores or outlets like Deseret Industries in Japan, because the culture looks down on hand-me-downs, especially if they don’t know where they came from. So I’m asking if people want to donate used items, please, honor the culture and customs, whether we agree with them or not.”
For more information about helping “Park City Unites for Japan,” contact Keiko Ito by email at k [email protected] or by phone at (801) 739-2235. Also, donations can be made by visiting www.redcross.org .