American Airlines, Japan Society, Rotary Club, and US-Japan Foundation join JMSA and 9/11 Tribute Center in Extending a Bond of Friendship and Support to the People of Japan

From October 19th to 29th, 2012, American Airlines will fly a team of 9.11 community members (family members, survivors, rescue and recovery workers, residents of the WTC neighborhood) to Japan to share their personal stories of transformation and give hope to survivors of the 3.11 earthquake disaster in Tohoku, Japan, starting with school children and teachers.  For more details about this exciting program, please click "Continue Reading" below.

JMSA and Rotary are arranging this program in response to the September 11th Families' Association’s strong desire to share their experience as well as expressed local welcome for emotionally bonding encouragement by our colleagues in Japan. “Through our experiences of community re-building in the aftermath of the September 11th tragedy in New York, we would like to be supportive of Japan’s long-term recovery efforts,” said Lee Ielpi, the President of September 11th Families' Association.  JMSA has been supporting long term recovery efforts in Tohoku, especially in mental health, since April 2011. With our continuing efforts, we hope to bring about a sense of international community to people who may begin to feel forgotten, even within Japan.

Collaborating partners include September 11th Families' Association / 9/11 Tribute Center, Englewood Rotary Club, JMSA, JAMSNET, Japan Society, Mount Sinai Global Health, and US-Japan Foundation. A variety of forums will be scheduled, starting with an international symposium with Dr. Shin-Ichi Niwa at Fukushima Medical University on 10/21, visiting the disaster area, and concluding in a seminar with Dr. Mitsuru Suzuki at the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association for Emergency Psychiatry on 10/28.  “We have a long term commitment to Japan and its people,” said Bernie Willett, American Airlines Director of Citizenship and Community Programs. “This initiative is part of our worldwide citizenship efforts and reflects American’s commitment to corporate responsibility in the communities we serve around the globe.”  George Packard, the President of the United States-Japan Foundation, “extends every good wish for the success of the project.”

JMSA greatly appreciates the goodwill and generosity of the collaborating partners. Special thanks go to American Airlines for generously providing roundtrip tickets from New York to Tokyo, Rotary Club for all local arrangements, Japan Society for program development advice, and to the United States-Japan Foundation for funding support of this program.