Project Report
| Jun 22, 2020
Baseball Project for Natural Disaster Survivors
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We hope you and your loved ones are as well as can be during these challenging times. Everyone has been adjusting to a new environment shaped by the coronavirus and reflecting on many societal issues. At such a time, we are very grateful for your generous donations so far this year.
The junior high school baseball players who have participated in our past Baseball Projects for Natural Disaster Survivors and their coaches and parents keep sending us wonderful feedback. They all learned so much and gained lots of confidence and life skills that will help them throughout their lives on and off the baseball field.
Children living in areas devastated by natural disasters during their lifetimes yet again have been living with great uncertainty and the disruption of their schooling due to the coronavirus pandemic and related states of emergency. In addition to schools having been closed, sports clubs and related local, regional and national championships have been canceled.
We remain committed to supporting the next generation in Kumamoto and Tohoku through our Baseball Projects for Natural Disaster Survivors. The timing of our next Baseball Project, however, depends on the state of affairs surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and when schools and parents will be comfortable allowing young junior high school baseball players to travel and participate in projects like this again.
Originally we were planning to hold the next Baseball Project this autumn. This timing is no longer possible given the pandemic. If it is possible to reschedule the Baseball Project for later this year, we want to support Kumamoto in its continued efforts to rebuild after the devastating earthquake in 2016. If the Baseball Project takes place next year, we want to support Ishinomaki acknowledging that 2021 will mark the tenth anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
Since our last report, we have been further preparing and raising funds for to bring junior high school baseball players from Tohoku and Kumamoto together to participate in the next Baseball Project for Natural Disaster Survivors.
With your generous support, we will bring together and provide junior high school baseball players and their coaches from Kumamoto and Ishinomaki with baseball, leadership, teamwork, communications, disaster preparedness and sustainability training and have them participate in a volunteer activity. They will also discuss and share how the coronavirus has impacted their communities and what they have learned from the pandemic.
Kumamoto experienced several earthquakes in April 2016 including a 6.2 magnitude (on the Japanese scale) earthquake on April 15th and a 7.0 magnitude earthquake (on the Japanese scale) in April 16th. More than 50,000 people were evacuated from their homes and more than three years later many are still living in temporary housing. Many of the buildings, including schools and the iconic Kumamoto Castle, were severely damaged. Kumamoto is still very much a city undergoing long-term reconstruction.
Ishinomaki in Tohoku was one of the areas most severely impacted by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. A 33 foot wall of water traveled more than three miles inland leveling 80% of the homes and destroying many other buildings. Nearly nine years later Ishinomaki is still rebuilding and many are still living in temporary housing.
In both cities, school buildings and sports training facilities were impacted. For example, sports fields have been used as locations for temporary housing and schools have needed to be repaired or reconstructed.
There is still lots to be done! We are meeting with Major League Baseball representatives to organize the baseball training workshops. In addition, we are meeting with sponsors and potential sponsors to arrange for in-kind and other donations. And we are in regular communication with the local junior high schools, junior high school baseball coaches, baseball players and their parents. And we are closely monitoring developments in Tohoku and Kumamoto concerning the coronavirus.
Thank you once again for your generous support and for making it possible for us to provide baseball, leadership, teamwork, communications, disaster preparedness and sustainability training to all these promising young kids who are -- and will continue to be -- leaders and role models in their local communities. We still need many more donations for this Project and are forever grateful for your support.
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