Congratulations to our volunteers, corporate sponsors and NPO partners on another successful Day of Service. This year's event on October 3, 2009, attracted nearly 300 volunteers dedicating their time on 5 large projects. Volunteers made greeting cards with residents of the Hakujusou senior citizens home; learned photography and made one-of-a-kind frames for their photos with the children at the Wakabaryo children's home; took visually-impaired children on a virtual trip around the world to Taiwan, India, France, and Colombia at the international festival; teamed with Special Olympics athletes and their coaches in an exciting bowling tournament; and painted and planted both inside and out on the playroom and garden renovation project at Saiseikai Central Hospital's nursery for infants and toddlers. HOT partnered with California-based environmental designer and founder of With A Brush of Love, Lauren S. Henry on the renovation project. Lauren specializes in designing surroundings for children with special needs. In the evening volunteers shared stories and reflected on the day at the After Party hosted by corporate partner Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Together volunteers gave back approximately 1,000 hours in service to the Tokyo community.

The HOT Day of Service is a one-day event which engages volunteers, primarily from our corporate partners and their families, in larger-scale service activities that may be more permanent or provide a deeper connection to partner agencies than our ongoing projects. The event also serves as a showcase for volunteerism, promotes Hands On Tokyo as a vehicle to provide meaningful service opportunities, enables both foreigners and Japanese nationals to give back in a tangible way to local, underserved populations and raises funds to support Hands On Tokyo's year-round service projects.

Pictures:

• Making greeting cards at the Senior Home (JPG)
• Renovating a playroom at a group home (JPG)
• International Festival for visually challenged young people (JPG)