Reaching Out to Japan

Last week, my daughters’ elementary school sent home a note asking for donations to help the victims of the recent tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan. I gave each of them some money in an envelope and told them they could give the envelopes to their teachers for the school’s relief effort.

But my daughters, who have seen heartbreaking images and news on TV about the disaster, wanted to help in their own way. So they each went to their piggy banks and filled additional envelopes with their own coins to help out with the school’s Japan fundraiser.

I thought that my daughters’ wish to help was sweet and very touching. Kids across the U.S. are launching their own efforts to help families and children affected by the natural disaster overseas. There is a group of children from Atlanta, who in just one hour with their lemonade stand raised more than $1,000 in relief money for Japan, according to CBSNews.com. CBS also told of a girl who sold artwork she had created for neighbors and raised more than $2,500 for Japan. It just goes to show how big kids’ hearts can be and how truly amazing they are.

With the level of destruction in Japan, I think it’s essential that we all do what we can to assist those who have been affected by the disaster. And with kids’ natural propensity to reach out to others and help, teaching them what they can do to make life a little bit easier for those coping with so much overseas will be a great growing and learning experience. If your child or community/school group would like to get involved in the relief efforts, here are some ideas on how to help:

Donate to the Red Cross: Kids can visit american.redcross.org with an adult to donate funds to the Red Cross’s disaster relief efforts in Japan. For more on donating to the those efforts, check out this list of frequently asked questions about donating to the Red Cross.

Give to the Salvation Army: With the help of an adult, kids can visit salvationarmyusa.org to donate funds to the Salvation Army’s relief efforts in Japan. The Salvation Army has teams of volunteers in Japan who are distributing basic necessities to survivors.

Donate through Yahoo: On its homepage, Yahoo has a list of charitable organizations that are providing disaster assistance in Japan, with website links to where you can donate.

Send emails to Japanese school students: I saw this on Yahoo’s Shine webpage and thought it was a great idea. Kids who want to reach out and send support to students in Japan can email schoolchildren there. Jguide.stanford.edu provides a list of International Schools in Japan.

Organize your own fundraising event: With the help of parents and teachers, children, like the school kids in Atlanta, can organize their own disaster relief fundraising event and donate the money they raise to an appropriate charity. Not only will every donated dollar count in Japan, but such an event will go a long way toward building your child’s self-esteem and compassion for others. The website for the Lance Armstrong Foundation offers suggestions for ways children can raise money for charity.