|
Our 2011 Year in Japan (and the future of our work) |  | | | Japanese legend holds that if you fold 1,000 cranes, your wish will come true; our wish is for the recovery of health, safety and inner peace for the children of Japan. |
........there is little doubt that the tragic events in Japan shaped most of the efforts of international relief organizations who provided emergency food, water and shelter to those in need. As we've done in the past, we followed their response when the time was ripe to protect the mental health and tender hearts of children. Everywhere we went we saw thousands of colorful origami cranes like those in this picture adorning schools and community centers. We were constantly reminded of the love and support that poured in from all over the world. Click on the picture to enlarge it!
Following the success of our May intervention in several Japanese communities, we returned in mid-October spending two weeks with volunteer organizations who continue to counsel people in regions close to Fukushima. As during the first mission, we trained mental health professionals, nurses, orphanages, community groups, teachers and parents in our research-based, effective protocols to help children deal with traumas that resulted from the disastrous consequences of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. We are clear that our efforts dramatically reduced the onset of P.T.S.D. (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) in children because we acted before their wounds turn into lifelong scars.
Our fundraising goal in 2011 was not only to cover all our expenses related to the Japanese response but also to have in reserve adequate funds necessary to respond to any future disaster; unfortunately, we have left just the bare minimum amount needed to get through the winter and meet the demands of everyday operating expenses and overhead. When another event does occur, we will again be forced to make the case for the good works we do in the world, asking our supporters and friends to help us launch yet another effort -- unless we can replenish our reserve account. This is where your help is so badly needed.
For us to undertake our work, your support is essential to help cover the costs of the trainings we offer at no charge to participants. As the year comes to a close, again we are asking you to dig deep and donate through this website by clicking on the red box to the left of this home page. You may also donate directly to our office by check, money order, travelers checks or wire transfer.
Thanks to your support in the past, we can boast of a spectacular track record: our efforts directly benefited more than 35,000 children in Sri Lanka following the 2004 tsunami, 40,000 children in Java after the 2006 earthquake in Bantul and as many as 4,000 children in Samoa in 2009. The average cost per child has been less than forty cents and less than 5% of the money we raised went to pay administrative costs. In 2011, we worked with nearly 500 children and worked with and trained an additional 200 nurses, social workers, community organizers, volunteers and parents. Our materials were widely circulated in the Japanese language through printed handouts and internet links; furthermore, our presence in Japan was acknowledged by various forms of media including television interviews and newspaper articles that highlighted our unique approach and successes.
All this has resulted in our being invited to return to Japan in 2012 -- sponsored by one of the Universities in the Sendai region which provides classes for the general public who continue to respond to this disaster on an ongoing basis. This international exchange and lifelong study will coordinate volunteer services for people who live in temporary houses where our training of volunteers in mental care is so vitally important. We are also formulating a very unusual project to address and reverse the effects of radiation exposure through our affiliation with a number of health care providers. This is great news for us and further strengthens our continued commitment to help the children and families of Japan.
Will you take a moment to help us today by making a tax-deductible contribution to support our work so that we can be fully prepared to meet the challenges of the future? Take a look at our specially created site, FBF Global, to see how your donations went to work in Japan. In this time of giving thanks for family and friends, we hope you will consider our special cause as worthy of your support.
Thank you very much for all you do to make the world a better place, and best wishes for a healthy, happy and joyous season and New Year.
William Spear
President and Founder
The Fortunate Blessings Foundation is a secular, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization per U.S. Internal Revenue Code dedicated to innovative education for well-being by promoting wholeness and vitality through dietary and lifestyle practices, for harmonious and ecologically viable human living and working environments and public spaces, and on a global level to providing trauma relief to children following natural disasters.
|
|
|
