Ms. Kyoko Sasaki from Ishinomaki City, who supported us for the Great East Japan Earthquake
Charity,
“Halloween Eco Bag: Buy One Give One Project
” wrote a column for Ei-KIDS
☆
For details on “Halloween Eco Bag: Buy One Give One Project” and Ms. Sasaki, please refer to
below URL.
東日本大震災のチャリティー『ハロウィン・エコバック1for2』のプロジェクトでお世話になりました
石巻の佐々木恭子さんが、英KIDSの為にコラムを書いて下さいました☆
ハロウィン・エコバック1for2と佐々木恭子さんについては下記のURLをご参照下さい。
(URL:
http://kodomoeigo.jugem.jp/?day=20111022)
Taylor’s Dream
Last November, Ambassador Caroline Kennedy visited Mangoku-ura Elementary School in Ishinomaki
City and donated over 100 books to Taylor Anderson Reading Corners. The most popular of these was
the book about the inventor of the iPhone, Steve Jobs. It was even more popular than the book about
President Obama. This made me realize that being popular with children is all about being closely
connected to their daily lives. Steve Jobs was adopted at birth. It is a great shock to learn about this
from the book, that his life started with something so completely out of his control.
Then there is Taylor Anderson, an American who was working as an Assistant Language Teacher in
Ishinomaki when she lost her life in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
Her parents’ lives have also changed dramatically since they lost their daughter. During an interview
on American television they were asked “When your daughter told you she would be going to Japan,
a country with lots of earthquakes, what did you think?” Taylor’s mother let out a deep breath and
replied,“It was my daughter’s dream to go to Japan. I was overjoyed that her dream had come true.
” During this period of great sadness, the Andersons decided to do something that would have made
Taylor happy; to love Ishinomaki, just the way their daughter loved it, and at the same time, to be a
bridge between the U.S. and Japan. And so, the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund was born.
Taylor always loved reading books. The Andersons also want other children to love reading books,
so they donated Taylor Anderson Reading Corners to the schools she used to work at.
These efforts have become well-known not only in Japan but also in the U.S., and Ambassador
Kennedy has also expressed her sympathy with these efforts.
There have been many difficulties since the 2011 Tsunami, but by living Taylor’s dream together,
both the Andersons and the people living in Ishinomaki can feel a sense of hope moving forward.
We would like to join hands and continue making dreams come true, together.
テイラーの夢
昨年11月にキャロライン・ケネディ大使が万石浦小学校を訪問し、テイラー文庫に100冊以上の本を寄
贈して下さいました。中でも人気だったのは、iPhoneを開発したスティーブ・ジョブズ。オバマ大統領を
抜き、断トツの一位でした。子どもにとっての知名度は、生活に密着したところにあるのだと感じた瞬間
です。ジョブズは生まれてすぐに養子に出されます。その事を本で知り、衝撃を受け、彼の人生は自分
の力ではどうにもならない所からスタートしていることを知ります。
震災で亡くなった石巻のALTテイラー。娘を亡くしてご両親の人生も大きく変わります。娘を亡くしただけ
でも辛いのに、アメリカのテレビでのインタビューでは「娘さんが、地震が多い日本に行くといった時どう
思いわれましたか?」と質問されます。お母様は大きく息を吐いた後「日本に行くことは娘の夢でした。
夢がかなったのですから、私は娘のために喜んでおりました。」と答えます。そして、悲しみの中、娘が喜
ぶだろう事をしようとご両親は決意されます。それは、娘が愛したように石巻を愛する事。そして、日米の
懸け橋になる事。それが形になったのがテイラー・アンダーソン記念基金です。本が好きだった
テイラー。子供たちにも本を好きになって欲しいので、ご両親はテイラーが勤務していた学校に
テイラー文庫を寄贈しました。その活動は、日本だけではなくアメリカでも広く知られることになり、
大使も共感して下さったのです。
震災後、辛い事が多かったけれど、テイラーの夢を一緒に生きることで、ご両親も石巻に住む私たちも
希望を持つことが出来ました。
これからも、共に手をたずさえ夢をかなえていきたいと思っています。
< Ms. Kyoko Sasaki’s Profile >
Ms. Kyoko Sasaki is a 48-year-old philanthropist from Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture.
She graduated from Tamagawa University, and worked as an elementary school teacher in Onagawa
and Ishinomaki for 9 years.
After resigning as a teacher, she started studying English again and became interested in charity work.
Following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, she produced and sold “Ganbarou
Ishinomaki” T-shirts and postcards, donating the profits to Ishinomaki City Hall.
Ms. Sasaki was a friend of Taylor Anderson, an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Ishinomaki City
who lost her life in the 2011 Tsunami.
Ms. Sasaki has worked with the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund from the very beginning, and is
currently a member of it.
She is a member of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan, as well as a representative of the
English speaking circle “e-kids”.
Ms. Sasaki enjoys dancing, tennis, and mountain climbing in her spare time.
<佐々木恭子プロフィール>
宮城県石巻市出身 48歳
玉川大学卒業後、女川・石巻で小学校教員を9年間勤めたのち退職。
その後、英語の勉強を再開し、チャリティの概念に触れる。
東日本大震災後”がんばろう石巻”のTシャツ、葉書を制作販売し、
石巻市に寄付。
また、震災で亡くなったALTテイラーとも交友があり、
初期段階から、テイラー・アンダーソン記念基金にも協力。
現在同会員。在日英国商業会議所会員。英語サークルe-kids代表
趣味は、ダンス、テニス、登山。