AJET Connect MAY 2014

VOLUNTEERINGAJETVOLUNTEERTRACKERGo where there is no path and leavea JET trail. Let’s make a difference!RAISE1,000,000750,000500,0007,5005,00010,000COMMUNITYSERVICE HOURSTHIS MONTHIN VOLUNTEERING...With summer coming up soon it’s time to get outside andvolunteer.Our Spotlight for the month, Amy Chavez, shares her goal tocreate a Shiraishi Island Pilgrimage Association to help reviveand maintain the 10 km route which serves as a mini version ofthe 88 temple pilgrimage in Shikoku.Em Bettinger, the founder of Pose and Paws, practices selflessservice by helping animals that have been affected by the disasterin Tohoku. There events include pet food drives and outdoor yogaclasses where students make a monetary donation.Robert Williams, from the Knights in White Lycra cycling club, willride for four days with 22 riders to raise 5 million yen for OGA(www.ogaforaid.org) which helps rebuild lives with sustainableprojects.Andrea Miyata, from Kaigai Connection and a former JET inOkayama, lets us catch up with her about her post JET Programmelife and how she incorporates fundraising for UNICEF as part ofher community outreach plan.And in case you want to know about more organizations thatyou can volunteer for please check out the volunteering sectionof the ajet.net website.SPOTLIGHT60 612,5003,676250,000Amy Chavez, Shiraishi Island’s Pilgrimage PRThe JET Community Service Tracker and the Race to the Top Challenge!AJET wants to help you help others! Be the #1 prefecture in one of these categories andwin¥30,000 to help fund your next AJET Prefectural Community event/project!Top 3 Prefectures: Charity Money Raised*1. Saga - ¥ 400,000 (48 JETs)2. Niigata - ¥551,888 (80 JETs)3. Oita - ¥185,019 (102 JETs)Top 3 Prefectures: Community Service Hours*1. Yamagata - 1,189 hours (81 JETs)2. Saga - 294 hours (48 JETs)3. Hokkaido - 1,476 hours (263 JETs)*Charity Money raised and Community Service Hours are recorded by using this form HERE. Didyou recently hold a charity event or volunteer for any organization? Then fill out this form! Let’sshow how much impact JETs are making. Get involved!My goal is to create a Shiraishi Island Pilgrimage Associationto help preserve our island’s ancient Buddhist pilgrimage. Thishistoric route, which follows the perimeter of the island, is areplica of the 1,350 km 88-temple pilgrimage in Shikoku. Duringthe Edo Period (1603 to 1867) many towns in Western Japancreated such mini-pilgrimages to assist those who could notmake the long journey to Shikoku.The Shiraishi course features 88 stone deities scattered along 10km of wooded trail. Until recently, the elder ladies on the islandused the route during the spring and fall equinoxes (o-higan).The locals clean the road of leaves and debris twice a year. Butas the island’s population ages, the number of volunteers isdecreasing. As a result, this beautiful trail is becoming overgrown.I hope to revive it with the help of volunteers like you, who areinterested in helping preserve Japan’s ancient traditions. Our nextclean-up is May 11 th at 10 AM. Once you see this beautiful littleisland, you’ll probably want to come back to the beach in thesummer time or to complete this pilgrimage with your friends! Ifyou plan to do the Shikoku Pilgrimage during your stay in Japan,you can use the Shiraishi Pilgrimage to get your feet wet.Contact Amy shiraishireservations@yahoo.comFind out more about Shiraishi Island by visiting Amy’s homepagewww.moooobar.comCONNECTCONNECTMay Issue 2014 May Issue 2014