want to know where some of your We Are One donations go? first, let me tell you this story. a intermediate high school near the beach in ishinomaki got wiped out by the tsunami. some lives were lost, and so was everything else including all sports equipment. all the kids, except 2, lost their entire homes. nothing left, no school, and no baseball uniforms. but you know what? the game must go on!!! these kids kept playing baseball with borrowed equipment. ryoko-san naomi-san informed us and it was an easy decision. we used some of the fundraising money to buy new uniforms for the baseball team, just in time for the season.
so yesterday, we went to cheer on the Kitagami Junior High School team as they played with their new uniforms. when i walked into the stadium, i got chicken skin. i was thinking about all the people who donated money that have their own kids playing baseball. how happy they would be. mostly i thought about my baseball mommy friend holli and her 2 kids that eat and sleep baseball. she would have cried throughout the whole game. and yes, it would have been sad to see a team out there without proper uniforms.
after the game, the kids stood in a line, the team captain walked up to us and said thank you. then they all yelled together as a team “thank you!” i got chicken skin and was lost for words. the coach said thanks too. i almost cried. to see the bravery in the kids eyes, and to see the respect in the kids eyes made me feel like we did something really good. it’s 4 months later and things must move forward. we are here to help and if anybody else knows a kid, or kids in need, please let us know. everyday is a new day for us, we look forward and never look back. i learned that from the survivors of march 11th and it has changed my life forever.
NOW LET’S PLAY BALL!
**special thanks to ryoko-san and naomi-san for connecting us to the right people. let’s work together to keep our missions going!
