Like many of you, I have already begun personally donating to aid the people of Japan. There are few words available that can describe how I feel when I see and read about such catastrophic events and the long lasting impact on the people who live there, who have been affected and will continue to be affected for months and years to come. Like everyone, I cannot even begin to imagine the devastation. There are over half a million people who have lost everything. When I look all around the world – I see so many people who are in desperate need of help – but nothing compares to first an earthquake, then tsunami and finally a nuclear situation/potential disaster.
These people are in desperate need of food, water, and the basic necessities we take for granted every day. Food, water, shelter, clothing, medical needs, and the list goes on and on. I worry most about the children, whose tiny lives changed in 1 hours time – forever.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to decide on a worthy charity to support. After much research, I have narrowed it down to 2 charities – SAVE THE CHILDREN and SAMARITAN’S PURSE - both very reputable charities and already visible in Japan. For more information on these 2 charities – read further below – I’ve also included links to their Japan Relief pages. Both of these charities are already on the ground in Japan and in the process of providing for the most basic needs expressed above.
For the remainder of 2011 – rather than splitting proceeds from ONE fundraiser, I have decided to create TWO fundraisers via online links at www.lisalu.scentsy.us . This way you, my client can pick between which charity YOU wish to support. ALL proceeds from Scentsy orders placed through these links will be donated directly to the respective charities every 30 days. Please click on the Buy From Party Link next to each charity to benefit that charity. The donation rate will be 25% of the subtotal of your order before shipping and tax. I will regularly post to my blog a PDF document that reflects the donation amount so that you KNOW the donations are being made! I’ve kicked off the Scentsy Fundraising with a $100.00 donation to each charity. Proof PDF’s are attached below.
In advance, thanks very much for helping me to assist the people of Japan this year. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me right away at ludvicekcollc@gmail.com. God Bless.
SAVE THE CHILDREN
Save the Children has been on the frontlines helping Japanese children face extraordinary challenges to their well-being and recovery from these disasters. Save the Children estimates that at least 100,000 children have been affected by the disasters; many of whom have suffered profound losses.
Relief efforts for the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami continue to be hampered by the ongoing nuclear crisis, supply shortages and frigid temperatures. Save the Children carried out an exploratory mission north of hard-hit Sendai and found children living in desperate conditions.
Save the Children has opened the first child-friendly space in Japan, protective environments where children can gather to play and share their experiences under the supervision of trained, caring adults.
Japan Disaster Facts
• An estimated 100,000 children have been displaced from their homes
• Japan facing three disasters: earthquake, tsunami and nuclear radiation
• Japan is on high nuclear alert for two nuclear reactors in Fukushima
• Many tsunami-affected areas are still cut off from relief
• More than 465 roads, 43 bridges and seven railways washed away
• More than 380,000 people evacuated across the country
For more information on Save the Children – Japan Relief go here: Save the Children Japan Website
SAMARITAN'S PURSE
Samaritan’s Purse is airlifting 93 tons emergency aid to Japan to be distributed by our disaster relief team working in the devastated coastal area around Sendai, the closest major city to the epicenter of the deadly earthquake and tsunami.
The 14-member team, comprised of Samaritan’s Purse staff and Japanese church partners, arrived in Sendai late Wednesday night after a long drive from Tokyo through a heavy snowstorm. The convoy of trucks carried four tons of relief supplies. Through a strategic local church partnership, we were able to secure government permission to travel on a restricted access expressway that was otherwise closed to civilian traffic.
On Thursday, (March 17, 2011), our team distributed water, blankets, hygiene items, and first aid kits at a junior high school where 700 people are living in the gym. We also unloaded supplies at a church whose members will hand out the items in their community.
The team has encountered heart-wrenching scenes in the affected area, where the tsunami did much more damage than the earthquake. Coastal towns look like war zones. Collapsed houses spill out into streets that are littered with crushed cars, overturned boats, and debris. People are lined up for hours in the bitter cold for rations of food or water.
"Every time we turn a corner, we seem to come across another line of people—sometimes hundreds, sometimes thousands—waiting for basic necessities,” said team member Ivan Giesbrecht.
Much of northern Japan is experiencing shortages of food, water, fuel, and other necessities. Samaritan's Purse has another team in Tokyo setting up a logistical hub to facilitate and expedite the purchase and transport of more relief supplies.
More help is on the way. On Friday, (March 18, 2011), a 747 jumbo jet departed the U.S. for Japan, loaded with 93 tons of emergency aid, including blankets, hygiene supplies, and heavy-duty plastic shelter materials.
For more information on Samaritan’s Purse - Samaritan's Purse Japan Site
Donate To Samaritans Purse
Donate to the Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund
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