The Japanese Association of Tucson (JAT) (http://www.geocities.jp/jpntus/) is having a picnic/bake-craft-yard sale and disaster relief fundraiser (donation box) on Sunday April 10, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The March 11, 2011 earthquake (9.0 magnitude) and subsequent tsunami devastated northeastern Japan.

This event will be at Sushi Yukari, a Japanese restaurant at 5655 E. River Rd. # 151 in Tucson. The restaurant is on the NE corner of River and Craycroft.

Activities for children (i.e. face painting ,balloon creations, etc.) will also be offered.

Food (Yakisoba, Takoyaki, and Curry Rice) will be available for purchase. Drinks will be provided by the JAT. Otherwise no entrance fee to this event.

They will be collecting relief supplies for World Care (http://www.worldcare.org/index.html).

A previous fundraising event on March 19 netted over $10,000 to date. Photos at their Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=60510297352&v=photos, including photos of Japanese taiko drumming and bon dancing.

Email: jpnassoctucson@yahoo.co.jp.

For other upcoming fundraising events for Japan disaster relief, read my previous blog (click here).

Note: large 7.1 after-shock earthquake hit the same area of Japan on April 7. One of my friends send me this USGS link listing all earthquakes in the last 7 days:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php

If you’re getting a lot of email appeals to help the disaster relief efforts in Haiti, consider going to the website of the Southern Arizona chapter of the American Red Cross (www.redcrossarizona.org) and donate online.

Or do as I did today, drive down to their office at 5301 E. Broadway (between Rosemont and Craycroft) and donate in person. Their office is open today 9 till 5 p.m., tomorrow (Sunday) as well as Monday (a holiday), same hours. Donation phone line is 520-318-6740.

Money is desperately needed for everything according to Executive Director Richard White: water, food, medicine, first aid supplies, tenting for shelters, etc. etc. Your donation goes to the American Red Cross, then to the International Red Cross for all these relief efforts.

I grew up on an active volcanic island (Big Island of Hawaii) with lots of earthquakes, but we’ve never had such a devastating earthquake as Haiti experienced last Tuesday. The photos coming back via the media have been heart wrenching, especially those of the injured, parentless children.

Please help. Donate now. Ask your family, friends, community groups to help also.