Please keep your fingers crossed for Eriko Houlette DS '12

Early this week, I received an email from Eriko Houlette, a current Davis Scholar from Japan. Eriko has always been a member of Wellesley Japan Club - she did not only participate in the Yuki Matsuri '11 Choir, but also help many choir members to put on their Yukata on the day of performance.

The email itself was in response to Silent Charity Auction, an initiative by Japan Club for the earthquake relief. Eriko expressed her interest in donating for the Auction. Towards the end, she mentioned that she was planning to fly back to Japan since her hometown, Miyagi, was affected badly by the earthquake and the tsunami.

All the JC members were very touched by her generosity for the Silent Auction and her support to our initiatives, though her family members are among the suffering ones who need help most at this moment. JC, therefore, decided to use our profit money to buy something useful for her upcoming trip to Japan.

We did some research online on what the people there need most now. Fortunately, we found a website that provides a list of things that are needed. For those of you who are reading this blog now - this organization is accepting items listed and you can totally buy them and mail them over to support Japanese people in the affected areas! We, however, would also like to remind you to give a second thought on your way of support. There have always been many debates on whether to donate stuff or money to support areas that are affected by natural disasters. Many scholars and experts point out that donating money is usually more efficient. More importantly, it allows people to buy things they need locally, which stimulates the local economy and benefits the local employment environment. JC, nevertheless, decided to buy something useful for Eriko because she would be able to directly take them to where they are needed in very short period of time.

Based on the list we found, we purchased the following items:

energy bars

wet wipes

paper diapers

menstrual pads

dry shampoos (that don’t need water)

flash lights

batteries

sanitizers

The total amount is not a lot due to luggage constraints, but we really hope they will be useful for both Eriko and other people in her hometown. Please keep your fingers-crossed for her, a brave-hearted Wellesley women who decided to fly back to her hometown after the disaster. We sincerely wish her all the best.

Wellesley Japan Club