The Japanese Festival

(Apr. 17, 2011) Last Sunday afternoon and evening there was a very nice fundraising event for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11. The Japanese Festival was at the OSU Alumni Building on the OSU campus and was the climax of three weeks of fundraising events that has raised more than $25,000 to be donated to the Red Cross for Japan. The program started at 3:00 with an outdoor Summer Festival and an indoor silent auction with around 300 donated items for sale. At 5:30 the approximately 300 in attendance enjoyed a Japanese Cultural Dinner and Show. The buffet-style Japanese meal, catered by the Kyoto Restaurant, was followed by a show presented by the Japanese Student Association.  There was dancing, singing, a fashion show, a taiko drum performance and other entertainment and the students did a great job. The program listed twenty sponsors and donors from throughout the university and the community and there are several restaurants that will donate part of their proceeds on selected nights through the rest of April.  While many people and many organizations were instrumental in the success of the fundraising efforts, one young couple were the real driving force and made it happen. Naho Timson, a native of Japan who lived near the powerful earthquake that caused enormous destruction and  thousands of deaths in Kobe in 1995, and her husband Ray, worked tirelessly to raise funds for the people in Naho’s native country.  Naho and Ray, the two of you did a great job!