Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami Relief
Washington and Lee’s Student Association for International Learning (SAIL), Pan Asian Association for Cultural Exchange (PAACE), and the East Asian Languages and Literatures Department (EALL) have launched a fund-raising campaign to help those suffering overwhelming dislocation and loss as a result of the earthquakes and tsunami of the Tohoku region of Japan.
According to Mary Knighton, visiting assistant professor of Japanese, students all over campus as well as students faculty and staff from EALL will be involved. “We appreciate any and all support, however small, in the way of time, energy and contributions,” Knighton said. She added that all donations will go to the Japan Red Cross (Nihon sekijuujisha), which has long had a presence in Japan and was one of the first organizations on the scene in this disaster.
This week and going forward, the relief effort will have a table at Elrod Commons with donation boxes. Swipe machines will not be available immediately, Knighton said, so contributions need to be in the form of checks and cash.
“Students and other volunteers will be making origami peace cranes at the site. Should we make enough–a thousand (senbazuru) is the goal!–we will collect them to send to Japan as a small token from W&L students,” she said.
Anyone who wishes to volunteer, as well as those with questions or wanting to make a contribution, may direct inquiries to SAIL’s Chair, Upol Ehsan (ehsanu13@mail.wlu.edu), or to Mary Knighton in EALL/Japanese (knightonm@wlu.edu).
