3000 Letters for Japan

Hello Dear Friends,

You are all more than aware of the recent events in Japan, as I'm sure you are being constantly bombarded by devastating images of north-eastern Japan. Thousands of people are left without a home, school, and missing family members after last weeks tsunami. I live so close to the devastated area, but am hardly affected at all by it, and I feel like doing something proactive to help those most affected would be far more productive than constantly watching and reading the news.

I have a good friend who lives in Shiogama, Miyagi, a town greatly effected by the tsunami. Many homes and schools and buildings were destroyed, and many people are still missing. The people of this town - especially the children - can use a little bit of love!

I created a little project with my friend in Miyagi to collect letters from my friends and family for the children at her (and surrounding) schools. I will be collecting the letters at my house and sending them in one large package in the next few weeks, once post service has been restored to the area.

I am asking you as individuals, teachers, parents, and company employees to please write letters, draw pictures, and spread the word to everyone around you to spread a little bit of light to the children effected by this disaster.

The children will be Elementary and Junior High School age. Their English levels are very basic, and the younger kids can't read at all (but think English writing is cool!) Please keep your English very simple and write clearly. Feel free to draw pictures, add stickers and stamps, and decorate the letters as much as you can. For younger kids, simply drawing pictures instead of writing is fine!

Each letter should be inside an envelope. Please don't include anything else that would make the envelope bulky. Collect all the envelopes and send them to me in one larger envelope. Please let me know if your letters are aimed at much younger children (who can't read at all) or older JHS aged children who have basic English skills.

Please include a return address if you would like to receive a letter back, though I cannot guarantee the kids will write you back.
 

Send your envelope bursting with letters to my home in Japan at:
 

Jessie Zanutig
Gunma-ken Tone-gun
Kawaba-mura Yubara 2707-8
378-0102
JAPAN

My goal is to collect 3000 letters for Japan. Most schools will have about 300-400 students, so this goal will hopefully mean distributing letters to a few schools. Here's to hoping we can reach 3000 and even far surpass it! With a little effort on all our parts, I know we can reach this number.

Don't just write one letter -- write 10!! Ask your partner, your children, your friends, your students, and your colleagues. Write as many letters as your hands can handle and spread the word. Forward this email to everyone you know. Everyone is looking for a way to help Japan, and this is your opportunity to help the children who really need it.

Please aim to have the letters in the post to me by FRIDAY APRIL 22nd. This will give me ample time to collect the large package and send all the wonderful letters to my friend in Miyagi prefecture.

Please visit the facebook page for updates and more information. Feel free to invite your friends to join the page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/300-Letters-For-Japan/159472497443796
Thank you so much for all your help and love. I look forward to a mail box full of letters, and the Kawaba post man earning his pay this month!

Love,
Jessie Zanutig

I think this is an amazing idea and will be participating by writing a few letters of my own to reach out to the children of Japan. I encourage all of my readers to do the same, pass this along to family and friends, everyone you know. If you are local, I can collect and send your letters for you so all you have to do is write or draw something! Let's work together to bring a smile to Japan's youngsters in such a tragic time.