Jack-o-Lantern Joy – ジャック・オー・ランタンの喜び

The pumpkin fundraiser was a success thanks to many eager purchasers from Tokyo and Nagano. Customers from international schools such as the United School of Tokyo, the American School in Japan and Christian Academy in Japan helped by purchasing pumpkins great and small and of various varieties including the white Casper and the carriage-shaped “Cinderella” or “Fairytale” pumpkin. We hope that next year, even more school groups will participate in the pumpkin fundraiser as part of their Halloween festivities.

パンプキン募金活動は、東京と長野の多くの熱心な購入者のおかげで成功を収めました。ユナイテッドスクールオブトウキョウアメリカン・スクール・イン・ジャパンクリスチャン・アカデミー・イン・ジャパンなどのインターナショナルスクールの関係者たちが、白い「キャスパー」や、馬車型の「シンデレラ」あるいは「フェアリーテール」など大小さまざまな品種のパンプキンを購入して支援してくださいました。来年はさらに多くの学校グループがハロウィン行事の一環としてパンプキン募金活動に参加してくださることを願っています。

The ASIJ community supported JOEE with pumpkin purchases. — Thank you to Kaffeehaus for hosting!

Pumpkins were also sent to various orphanages where the children were able to enjoy the experience of designing and creating their own Halloween Jack-o-Lantern for the first time ever. Thank you to the kind volunteers who consistently plan and carry out free English lessons and who continue to bring compassion and education to the wonderful children who also bring us joy.

パンプキンは様々な児童養護施設にも送られ、子供たちは初めてハロウィンのジャック・オー・ランタンをデザインし、作る体験を楽しむことができました。無料で英語レッスンを計画・実施し続け、子供たちに慈愛と教育を届けてくださる親切なボランティアの皆様に感謝申し上げます。素晴らしい子供たちはいつも私たちに喜びをもたらします。

JOEE lessons in October included pumpkin carving!

JOEE English encounters are not merely an education in language, they are also an opportunity for cultural exchange. They are a space where the children can interact with caring adults from many parts of the world and understand that compassion knows no boundaries. Our hope is that these at-risk youth will grow into a future that encourages worldwide connections and gives them meaningful work to do when they have grown into adults. We value your continued support of JOEE!

JOEEの英語体験は単なる言語教育ではなく、文化交流の機会でもあります。世界中の思いやりのある大人たちと交流し、やさしさが国境を越えることを理解できる場です。私たちは、こうした困難を抱える子供たちが成長し、世界的なつながりを育み、大人になった時に意義ある仕事に就ける未来を築くことを願っています。

500 Km Across Japan – Cycling with KIWL

KIWL Sponsor Jersey

FUNDRAISING RIDE: Tomorrow at 7am sharp, off I go — SHUPPATSU — on a 500 kilometer fundraising ride with the Knights in White Lycra. Will I survive? I hope so… after over 1,600 kilometers of training rides and having climbed over 24,000 meters of mountains, I think I’m ready. I am part of a group of 38 cyclists pedaling from Tokyo to a children’s care facility in Kanazawa from June 9 to 12. Please consider sponsoring me! Here is the link to the fundraiser with instructions below for making sure that your sponsorship is attributed to JOEE:

KIWL 2022 Fundraising Ride

Step 1: Click on link above (https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/kiwl-2022-events/ ) and find the following screen shown below.

Enter your donation amount and click on “Donate in honor”
Choose “KIWL 2022 Events”

Step 2: Choose “No Card.” (This will allow you to dedicate your donation to JOEE.)

Choose “No Card”

Step 3: Fill in the details: “From,” “In Honor Of,” and “Message.” (Screenshot sample below….)

Fill in your details!

Step 4: Complete your donation and then share the information with a friend!

TRAINING: I have been training for this event for a couple of months while continuing to teach JOEE classes online and communicating with our JOEE teachers in Tokyo, Kobe and Nagoya. Hopefully, the ride will help to raise awareness of the struggles that many children face while raising funds to continue programs to educate and empower these youth. Here are some photos showing the training process which took place in the hilly terrain of Nagano where I currently live and work teaching and farming.


Motivation: Why am I doing this? To raise funds for two organizations that help valuable but neglected children reach their full potential and be able to lead happy and fulfilling lives. JOEE and YouMeWe are committed to helping kids who are growing up in orphanages and care homes in Japan where about 60,000 children are in need of protection and help. Many have been removed from their homes for their own health and protection. A few are in foster care programs but the vast majority are in larger institutions and group homes. Adoption rates in Japan are abysmally low and most of the children that enter the care system remain there for the rest of their childhood. These children deserve a bright future. Japan needs healthy and happy children and youth to thrive and live in this beautiful country.

Please Help: I hope that you will consider donating to JOEE, sharing our vision and even volunteering as a teacher or helper to make a positive difference in the lives of children in Japan. Email me for more details: Ruth@joee.jp . In Japanese email: Hiroko@joee.jp . Thank you for caring!