Featured Volunteer HERO

Hello, everyone! I am Tomoko Tanaka and I have been working at NYdV as a GA (General Affairs) director since last January. Six of us (including myself) come to work in the office once a week in order to oversee our projects and provide opportunities for as many people as possible to experience our great volunteer activities in New York City. Noriko (Executive Director of NYdV) used to have to do all of this by herself, including planning and coordinating, until January of this year. But now the GA team has been organizing and sharing the work so that we can deliver smoother coordination. My main responsibility is to build up the well-organized team and develop it to work more efficiently. In order to do so, we started to clean up and rearrange the office. Then, we tried to write down as much of the information that Noriko had in her mind as possible. NYdV is run only by volunteers and unfortunately many of our staff are unable to stay long. The average duration is about three months. Therefore, we are required to be an organization that can keep moving forward with ever-changing staff. Also it is important to create a user-friendly NYdV guidebook so that new volunteers can start working from day one. It took me about four months to ensure that the GA team was reorganized, but there are still some improvements we need to work toward. It has been a great experience for me to feel such accomplishment in the process of creating something new.

Alan Ho from Hong Kong --He is studying Japanese. Alan reviewed his experiences with NYdV. Q1. What made you start participating in volunteer activities? A1. I moved from Iowa to NY and found NYdV after I settled down with my job. I was looking for an opportunity to make good use of my free time, and to practice Japanese. Q2. What do you think about other volunteers at NYdV? A2.They are all very kind. For example, whenever I did not understand the conversation and looked up a dictionary, they asked me what I did not understand, and tried to involve me in the conversation. Staff at NYdV always cared about whether I understood or whether I had any questions. Thanks to people at NYdV I feel quite comfortable in participating in volunteer activities among Japanese people. When all of us visited Chinatown together, I took them to my favorite restaurant. I was very happy as I felt I could do something in return for their kindness. Q3.What has happened since you started to volunteer? A3.I met lots of Japanese which helped to improve my Japanese a lot. Volunteer activities turned out to be opportunities to meet people and made my life fun. Q4.What kind of volunteer activities do you want to do next? A4. All the volunteer activities I participated in so far were fun. I would like to participate in anything. Q4.What does NYdV mean to you? A5. Although I cannot schedule my attendance well in advance as my work is quite busy, the application system via e-mail makes it easy for me to join in activities, and the activities always make me feel fulfilled. NYdV is an important organization that gives me valuable opportunities.

NYdV’s #1 participant: Ms. Toshiko Yamamoto

Ms. Yamamoto has attended all of NYdV’s events since her February 25th orientation. Ms. Toshiko Yamamoto and her husband Ronald take a look back on their NYdV wxperience thus far. Q. What made the two of you get involved in volunteer activities? We had been living in New York for about 2 years and finally got accustomed to life here. We thought to ourselves that we should get involved in something. Around the beginning of February we saw an advertisement for a NYdV activity and inter-exchange meeting in a Japanese newspaper and the two of us immediately decided to participate. A. 1. The Activity and Inter-exchange Meeting At this meeting, we learned about the subject of establishing volunteer activities. NYdV staff also advised us to participate and join other organization's events and how to search for their events. We became fans of the open and cheerful atmosphere of NYdV's mission. 2. The Japanese Cultural Introduction Class at School When we saw these very cute kindergarten students being shy and trying so hard to learn how to fold origami and do the Japanese radio exercise that children in Japan do, we realized that children are the same in any country. We will not forget these children whom we taught and how they said " Thank you" and " See you again!" 3. School Beautification Volunteer We arrived at the site with an easygoing attitude, expecting to paint the outside fence that surrounds the school, but due to inclement weather, there was a change of plans. We instead, stayed inside because of the rainy weather and painted the hallways with themes, such as scenes of the ocean floor, to inspire children's dreams. At first there was some difficulty deciding what images to paint, but with the direction of the school staff we were free to paint whatever we wanted and it was very enjoyable. We were impressed by the school's open mindedness and courage in supporting unique ideas. The representatives of the school said, Please go ahead with any ideas you have regarding picture or composition."Thank you for your wonderful collaborative work." ?S�D The Soup Kitchen Volunteer Through this volunteer we gained a first-hand experience of working with the homeless. We had never before served food or conversed with the homeless. A great number of the staff who work at the soup kitchen were at one time in their life homeless themselves and empathize with the people who come to the soup kitchen. They recommend that these people make an effort to return to society. The experience left a deep impression on us. Q.. What has been the most impressive volunteer event that you have participated in so far? A. Each and every one of these events has left a strong impression in my memory, but if I had to think of a few examples… Q. What type of people participate in NYdV activities? A. Those who have gathered here to volunteer are naturally very polite people. There are many varieties of people currently in New York; there are residents who commute and live around the New York area, students from Japan who are here temporarily, adults, housewives etc. We’ve met many couples who originally had come to New York because of their jobs and who now, as a part of their retirement, travel to New York on a yearly basis to volunteer. We feel very proud to have met some very strong-willed young people who want to establish their own volunteer group when they return to Japan. Volunteering in America and especially in New York, where there are many issues to face, provide them with valuable experience that they can use towards their goal in Japan. We often hear a lot of negative news in matters regarding young people in Japan today, but we remind ourselves not to jump to conclusions too quickly. Q. What’s changed since you started to volunteer? A. After participating in events together for some time now we have become closer by having this in common. Naturally, we have also met many people and have increased our circle of friends. Q. What kind of volunteer activities do you want to do in the future? A. Right now I don’t know if we know what’s out there, so we want to do a variety of types of volunteering so that we can find out what kind of volunteering is most fulfilling for us. Q. What is NYdV to you? A. NYdV provides a place for joyful meetings where we can think about ways in which to fulfill our lives everyday here in New York.

From NYdV staff As always, thank you for coming. For those interested in participating, we invite you all to take your first step by joining our volunteer events and discover the joy and meaning of volunteering. Like Mr. & Mrs. Yamamoto, who have made volunteering a part of their lives, you may find that this experience can broaden your life and enrich your heart. Also, a special thank you to Ms. Toshiko Yamamoto who has been helping to report on activity days, giving an account of the day's events for those people on our mailing list who were unable to attend.

Our Hero this time is Mr. Kenjiro Mori, an advisor. "I had two experiences that inspired my decision to support NYdV. The first was when I met Ms. Noriko Hino. I had known her from her previous work at an IT corporation, at which I had also been involved. Her passion towards NYdV greatly impressed me. The second occasion to leave an impression upon me was when I participated in an actual NYdV Council Meeting event. Again, I was impressed by these young people's exhibition of such earnest dedication and positive attitudes towards volunteering. They are working in New York and living life to the fullest yet they still find time to join in volunteer activities. I felt that that is something worth supporting. My role here at NYdV is in fundraising. This is done by increasing the organization's name recognition and by winning the approval of corporate executives, which is something of a weak point for NYdV. I intend to do my best to make as many of NYdV's activity proposals become realized, for they are constantly developing new ideas, one after another." Kenjiro Mori EBPass, Inc & Media Japan

Development Director: Ms. Chie Kobayashi Hello Everyone. IÕm Chie of NYdVÕs staff. My first meeting with this organization came after a former room-mate of mine brought home a business card from NYdV executive director, Noriko Hino and introduced me to this very interesting Japanese woman. Volunteering seemed to me a very way to kill two birds with one stone; it was a good opportunity for self-learning while contributing to the community. So, I called Ms. Hino and thus began my NYdV life. After meeting with her, I was appointed to the position of Development Director, the duties of which I fulfill once or twice a week. I am working to the utmost of my ability to perform my tasks as best as I can while also working a full-time job. The Development department helps to raise funding to be able to carry out the NPOÕs mission. This can often be a very difficult task, as we are usually working without pay and dealing with a budget deficit. Occasionally, NYdV sends volunteer experience group expedition parties off to work with other New York NPOs. Thanks to everybodyÕs effort, we customarily overcome race and culture and appreciate from the bottom of their heart and say things like, "You did an unbelievable job. Thank you." For Americans, NPOs have been part of their existence since childhood so they understand what they mean to society and are accustomed to volunteering. Or, in the case that the are unavailable to volunteer, they are usually ready to offer support in other ways like, " This time I canÕt volunteer so IÕll make a donation." For Japanese, however, they are usually not as accustomed to this. But, I think that if the over 50,000 of New YorkÕs Japanese residents made themselves available to volunteer, the impact to our society would be immeasurable. We, NYdV, aim to help those new to begin volunteering in the community where we need to understand different language and culture. I believe that NYdVÕs activities are useful for community as well as volunteers to have wonderful experiences here, in New York. I hope NYdV will become an NPO which Japanese people in America are really proud of. We appreciate your continuing support for our activities.

NYdV's projects are coordinated with the efforts of one full-time employee and about twenty volunteer staff members. This time, as our featured HEROES, we would like to introduce two essential members of our operating staff. Staff Member, Ms. Michiko Iyoku: I have been working as one of NYdV's staff for three years now and I feel that this organization and I have grown up together. I'd like to talk about what I experienced in joining and organizing volunteer activities at NYdV. First of all, I realized that for everyone to work harmoniously and for things to go smoothly, it is important that rather than attempt some outrageous goal, I should first start with something manageable. Secondly, I feel that it is important that we communicate with respect and consideration for each other. I noticed how wonderful it is to meet someone as though it were a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a unique occasion, and how important it is to have that attitude of savoring every moment of every day. Now I know how such actions relate to prizing oneself, others and nature. Although many people may feel the same way, I think the reason I have this opinion now is because I try to use what I have gained from my experience at NYdV. I also feel it is important to have leadership and time management skills. You must take responsibility for your work inside of an organization and communicate closely with others. I'm very grateful to be in an environment where I am able to learn these skills as a student before I go off on my own into the world. Finally, I have come to realize some truths of reality through volunteering, which tends to be harsh. I sometimes feel powerless in making the world a better place. However, as long as I can move forward, I will do what I can do and spend my time to try to improve the world. How can I achieve this? I think working with non-profit organizations, which work at the grassroots level (one of which is NYdV) has helped. Furthermore, through these non-profit organizations I would like to keep progressing and hold feelings of satisfaction and gratitude everyday.

General Operation Director, Ms. Etsuko Ito: I've participated as a NYdV staff member since September 2004, when I joined NYdV's Yosakoi Parade. Currently I am in charge of NYdV Newsletters. I've been in America one and a half years. Previously I worked at an NPO in Japan, which promotes reproductive health. In addition I also taught a foreign language as a volunteer to students who joined study tours overseas. When I lived in California, I volunteered to work at a soup kitchen and helped coordinate events in the South East Asian Community there. I first began promoting volunteer activities at NYdV as a core member of the volunteer staff. I dealt with difficulties in planning such as how to involve every one of the participants in an activity. But now it's a very important part of my life because it provides wonderful experiences for me such as having the pleasure of being "welcome" wherever we go, working with people who have same purpose and meeting other New Yorkers. I think that concerning oneself with local issues and to be involved is also invaluable. In addition, it is interesting to be able to see what goes on in an organization and to take part in an operation such as NYdV, which is a relatively young NPO founded only 3 years ago. I've learned a lot from the projects, especially in the way of fund raising in the United States. In the past 8 months of activities, one memorable impression I have is from the NYdV Christmas gift-wrapping event. The bookstore requested NPOs for wrapping instead of hiring a wrapping staff. We took this opportunity to advertise ourselves and at the same time received tips. I think this way of collecting donations was very practical. In America, the way of raising money and doing business between business organizations and NPOs is very flexible, but in Japan this is not the case. As I gain more insight about NPOs in America and actively take part in the volunteer community, I hope to be able to overcome new hurdles and challenge myself further.

Our hero of the quarter is Ms. Yukiko Ito, who participated in the volunteer gift wrapping program more than 15 times. Thank you so much! Comment from Yukiko: ÒI was most happy from the many smiles and thanks I received from the people who asked me to wrap their gifts.Ó

Our hero of the quarter is Ms, Kazumi Terada; the most frequent volunteer participant of this term. Six times, she joined our volunteer activities during her three-month-stay in New York! A comment from Ms. Kazumi: Thanks to NYdV. I was able to take part in so many volunteer activities without any reservations in spite of my inadequate communication skills in English. At every activity, once I started, it was so fun that I could barely stop myself from over doing. I would love to join Tokyo de Volunteer (TKdV) once I go back home and would love to show the people how wonderful it is to volunteer!

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