SeattleJapanRelief will hold a special community gathering and ceremony this Saturday, March 19, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Seattle Center’s Kobe Bell and north lawn area by the Seattle Fountain.
It's a chance for the local Seattle community, particularly our Japanese and Japanese American community, to come together in response to the terrible earthquake and tsunami...
[read more] SeattleJapanRelief will hold a special community gathering and ceremony this Saturday, March 19, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Seattle Center’s Kobe Bell and north lawn area by the Seattle Fountain.
It's a chance for the local Seattle community, particularly our Japanese and Japanese American community, to come together in response to the terrible earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan.
There will be short remarks from several community leaders and elected officials, including Consul General Kiyokazu Ota, Governor Christine Gregoire, Congressman Jim McDermott and Seattle Deputy Mayor Darryl Smith; prayers for those who are struggling as a result of this crisis and for those whose loved ones have perished or are still missing led by Reverend Taijo Imanaka of the Seattle Koyasan Buddhist Temple; and a chance for participants to ring the Kobe Bell in honor of our Japanese friends and families and in remembrance of those who have perished.
Organizers will have donation tables for the Red Cross, Peace Winds America and YMCA where people can make donations to the relief effort, as well as stations for people to write messages to the Japanese people which will be sent to Japan.
The Kobe Bell is a gift from Seattle's oldest sister city of Kobe, Japan, given in 1962 in honor of the World's Fair. The Kobe Bell has been a gathering place for Seattleites to remember the Kobe earthquake disaster of 1995 for the past sixteen years.
SeattleJapanRelief is a collaboration of Japanese American and Japan related cultural, educational, and civic organizations standing together to promote relief and recovery following the devastating earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan. Learn about all the organizations and donate at
www.seattlejapanrelief.org
This event is generously sponsored by Seattle Center.
Map of the Seattle Center Grounds:
http://www.seattlecenter.com/information/map.asp
Contacts:
Karin Zaugg Black, Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association
206-465-8387,
karin.zaugg@seattle.gov
Kirsten Henning, Japanese Cultural Center of Washington
206-697-3972,
kirstenh@jcccw.org
Photo Credit: Photo of Kobe Bell by JavaColleen via Flickr
