When we first thought about what an appropriate monetary goal for this project should be, we really had no idea what was possible. We tossed figures around until we arrived at our $5,000 goal, which we thought was challenging yet obtainable.

Well, it’s been exactly one month since the big BBBC event day and our kind and generous friends and family are still donating money through our donation site: www.biwabottleboat.com. And, we have not only reached our goal, but completely smashed it! As of the writing of this, our grand total is $8,486 (¥651,366 or £5,178), simply amazing!!!! Even though we have greatly surpassed our goal, we have decided to push on and reach for the stars! We hope to at least double our goal by raising $10,000!

There aren’t enough words or space on this page to convey our deep gratitude to everyone who has shown their amazing support for this project. Just thinking about how much we all, as one big team, have changed the lives of the orphans of Tohoku brings tears of joy to our eyes. It’s because of you that these children will go on to live safe, healthy, happy, and fulfilling lives. This project not only raised money, but brought together people from all walks and from all corners of the globe. It has stirred up awareness and created friendships that will continue for years to come. We are truly honored and humbled to be a part of such a wonderful family.

-Photo from the BBBC event day. Thanks to all who were able to join us on that amazing day!

We’d like to share a message from the Tohoku Kids’ Project that tells what your donations have helped to buy… “Since April 2011, our organization has been working with 19 children’s homes in Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures… Based on personal communications with homes, and completed needs assessment surveys by many of the home directors, we have been able to learn about many needs and have purchased and arranged for the delivery of the following for Summer 2011 across the 3 prefectures:

• 5 day overnight summer camp (English Adventures) in Saitama for 15 children from 1 Tohoku home (August 8-12)
• 3 day music therapy workshop in Tokyo for 15 children from 2 Tohoku homes (August 22-24)
• 19 lunch boxes
• 2 Geiger counters
• 10 AM/FM emergency radios
• 5 LED torches
• 24 electric wall fans
• 30 thermoses
• 7 PCs
• 1 printer
• 9 TVs
• 7 DVD players
• 15 tricycles
• 7 softball gloves
• 2 softball bats
• 2 rubber ball bats
• 1 golf set
• 13 basketballs
• 4 tennis rackets
• 30 tennis balls
• 2 volleyball kneepads
• 13 soccer balls
• 4 soccer goals

The above is just the beginning of our organization’s support plans for children’s homes in Tohoku… once this first phase of (mostly) ‘tier one’ support is carried out, our organization will look to deliver more enriching-type programs such as more camps, snowboarding trips, arts therapy workshops, yoga classes, tutoring and computer labs through 2011 and well into 2012.”

Thank you all again and stay tuned for more updates!

Today we would like to say a very special thank you to an incredible person who made a very generous donation. This kind individual wishes to remain anonymous and asked only that we dedicate their contribution in memory of Patricia Quigley with the following message:

“Even though you were only with us for a very brief time, I know you are a pure white angel. Please use your strength and power to watch over and protect these kids. Summon an angel to stay at the side of each and every child.”

They also asked all of us to keep our thoughts, hearts, minds, and prayers focused on not only the children of Japan, but also the millions of children all over the world who are suffering daily. These children need more than money; they need love.

As we think about and try to act on this powerful message, we would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has supported and donated so far. In alphabetical order we want to say a huge thank you to:

Akemi Nagai, Andrew Morris, Anna Radke, Ariane Borowska, Asta So, Bamba sensei, BESS Club, Beth Wakefield, Brian Stafford, Briana Hewitt, Caitlin Carey, Carl McClure, Cecilia Toner, Charla Chatman, Christiane Legendarme Parodi, Connie Huh, Craig Coutts, Corey Arnold, Daniel Martin, Daniel Settelen, Darii Wohlers, David P Revere, Delphine Parodi Legendarme, Dr S H Naqvi, Duncan Marks, Dylan Holland, Edward Mitchell, Elisabeth Genou, Elisabeth Guegan, Ellie Nicholls, Emi Nakamori, Fiona Duley, Fumiaki Sato, Georgina Blanco, Graeme, Hagimori Family, Harikesh Kaneshayogan, Hashii Momo, Helen Skinner, Henryk Borowski, Higashi Otsu High School, Hiroko Sawada, Hiroshi Furuhashi, Hitomi Mishina, Ishiyama High School, Iwao Kaeriyama, Jenny Bui, Jeremiah Lee, Jerome Ribot, Jessie L Mannisto, John Cadreact, John Hawkins, John Hildebrand, Joseph Mullineux, Josh Looney, Kanaho Shinkai, Katie Uhlrich, Katy Li, Kayoko Masuda, Kazuko Hanada, Kazuyo Imai, Keiko Kaku, Kimura sensei, Kiyoshi Ishikawa, Kiyoshi Takeda, Koge sensei, Konishi Family, Kristian Smith, Krystal Lankheet, Kumiko Hashizume, Kusatsu Higashi High School, Lara Holland, Louise Truslove, Maria Ribot, Marilyn Begin, Marisa Paolini, Mark Kirby, Masanari Nohara, Megan Pankratz, Megumi Ueda, Michael Leies, Michiko Yoshitomi, Misao Sato, Molly, Monique Barnes, Mr and Mrs Hagimori, Nancy Roberts, Naomi Nishimura, Natalie Glaser, Natsuki Hagimori, Nicola Hensey, Philip Trace, P M Williams, Peter Thomson, Pyar Anderson, Rae Borowska, Ritsuko Matsumura, Robert Passer-Lemaster, Ruth O’Brien, Ryan Okada, Samantha Gray, Sara Haider, Satoru Ogawa, Seren Williams, Serita Walsh, Shoko Ninomiya, Susan Roberts, Takako Kato, Takako Machida, Takeda sensei , Takuya Nogami, Teruyo Jimbo, Timothy Connolly, Tomoko Sasaki, Tsutsumi sensei, Virginia Pankratz, Warren McClure, Wasako Shishikai, Yasu High School, Yasuyo Yamashita, Yoh Nishizawa, Yumi Eguchi,Wendy Ikemoto,Yuumi Toba

Along with DR. PET, we are very excited to bring you video footage from the day of the event. It was a glorious day with perfect weather, a tough as nails boat, newspaper and NHK television news coverage, and our many friends, fans, and supporters cheering us on. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed starring in it! You might want to reach for your hankie now because it’s a bit of a tearjerker – especially when we come into land; the sheer delight on our faces says it all. Sit back, relax, and let the fun begin.

先月のイベントには新聞各社様、ＮＨＫテレビ様、そして心強い友人やサポーターのみなさまにお集まりいただきました。この日得られたのは、たくさんの方からの義援金にとどまらない、支えあうことの素晴らしさに改めて気づくことができたことだと感じました。たくさんのご支援、本当にありがとうございました。

Here is the actual NHK news broadcast that aired in the evening news on the day of the event. We are truly humbled by the impact and awareness that our project has brought. We never dreamed that it would become as popular as it did. We were featured in the Mainichi, Kyoto, Yomiuri, and Asahi newspapers as well as on NHK news. We thank everyone who made this wonderful day possible!

こちらはイベントの日の夜実際にＮＨＫテレビで放映されたビデオです。またそのほかにも毎日新聞、京都新聞、読売新聞、朝日新聞各社様の記事にも載せていただきました。ＢＢＢＣがこれほどにまで有名になるとは思ってもいませんでしたが、知る人が増えるにつれて、義援金もますます集まっていきました。この日を実現することができたのは、ほかならず、今このサイトを見てくださっている支援者のあなたのおかげです！かけがえのない支援を、ありがとうございます！

7月17日、私たちのことが朝日新聞（関西版）でとりあげられました。新聞でとりあげていただいて以来、¥350,000の募 金をいただきました。これで合計¥650,000となりました。私たちの記事を載せておきますので、どうぞご覧下さい。募金もよろしくお願いします。www.biwabottleboat.com

 

On July 17th we were featured in the Kansai edition of the Asahi newspaper. Since the article was published we’ve raised a further $4,500 – bringing our current total to $8,486! A truly wonderful achievement! Please enjoy reading the article and please, please keep your donations coming; a little can make a big difference: www.biwabottleboat.com

On Aug. 16^th, two Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs), who work at high schools in Shiga Prefecture, constructed a boat measuring two meters in length made from 815 plastic PET bottles.  Their goal was to paddle cross nearby Lake Biwa in their creation and raise money for orphans who lost their parents in the Tohoku disaster.

The two ALTs who took on this challenge were Dusty Wittman (30) from the U.S. and Roxanne Borowska (26) from the U.K.  Starting from Moriyama City and finishing at Otsu City on the other side of the lake, they paddled two kilometers in a little over an hour.  When fund raising in the U.S., your commitment is often proven through your performance.

They began their preparations by collecting PET bottles from their peers and students.  They said that they wanted to demonstrate their love for Japan and Japanese children through action.

Wittman and Borowska launched their donation website (http://ilovenihon.com/) on August 3^rd and already raised 300,000+ yen.  Ms. Borowska expressed how excited she was to get support from the people in her town, and how she hopes to garner even more support from their project.

 

(photo: Dusty Wittman (right) and Roxanne Borowska (left) having just crossed Lake Biwa in their PET bottle boat. – Otsu City, Imakatada 3rd district, Manohama Beach)

–END–

This article was kindly translated by Jared Hayes of the Rocky Mountain JETAA.

ご無沙汰していました！みなさまのご支援の甲斐あって、先週土曜日の１６日に無事イベントを終了することができました。ウェブ上での募金活動はまだまだ続けられていきますが、このたびすばらしい節目を迎えられたこと、とても感謝しています。本当にありがとうございました。今回はイベントの一部始終をみなさまにお伝えしたいと思います。「なおこれらの写真はイシヅカマリンさまのブログからいただいたものです。当日には援助ボートまで出していただくなどたくさんのご支援をいただきました。」（イシヅカマリン 徳田勝明氏撮影）

いよいよ琵琶湖横断スタートです。ボートが完成してから湖上で乗ったのは実はこの時が初めてでした。これからどんなことになるのか楽しみです。

この日の天気予報では風が強くなるとのことだったので、風の収まった一瞬の隙に横断しようと急いでボートをこぎました。

日差しがとても強かったので完全防備していきました。暑かったの確かですが、気持ちよい風が吹いていたので助かりました。

湖からの景色です。左側の琵琶湖大橋には応援に来てくれた方々が歩きながらこちらに声援を送ってくれていました。

ついに対岸にたどり着きました！声援を送りながら待ち受けていてくれた人の中にはNHK社さんや各新聞社さんもおられました。とても感動的な場面です。

無事に終わってからは集まったみんなとささやかなパーティで成功のお祝いをしました。いろんな世代の人が一緒になれるとても楽しい時間で、あっという間に時間は過ぎていきました。　　　おつかれさま！DR.PET！（※ドクターペットとはダスティのDとロキシーのRをあわせ、また東北での震災の傷を癒すという意味のお医者さん＝ドクターとペットボトルのペットからとったオリジナルボートの名前です。）

当日の募金では５０，５０３円の寄付をいただき、最初の目標を大きく超える計３００，０００円以上の寄付が世界中から集まりました。ご協力して下さったみなさま、本当にありがとうございました！

イベントはこの日で節目を迎えましたが、ウェブ上での募金活動はこれからも続いていきます。かわらぬご支援のほどよろしくお願いいたします。 www.biwabottleboat.com

これからもこのブログの更新を行いみなさまにすてきなニュースを届けていきたいと思いますので、時々見に来て下さいね！

すごいお知らせです：7月9日、私たちのことが毎日新聞（滋賀版）でとりあげられました。自分たちのことを読者のみなさんに知っていただけるなんてうれしい限りです。私たちの取り組みに賛同が次々と寄せられ、そして、熱気を帯びてきました。募金の方も同じような具合です。新聞でとりあげていただいて以来、¥100,000の募金をいただきました。これで合計¥200,000となりました。私たちの記事を載せておきますので、どうぞご覧下さい。募金もよろしくお願いします。www.biwabottleboat.com

Great news, everyone!  On July 9th we were featured in the Shiga edition of the Mainichi newspaper. We were so happy to share our story with its readers. Support and enthusiasm for the project are greatly increasing now and as a result, so too, are donations! Since the article was published we’ve raised a further $1,500 – bringing our current total to $2,496! A truly wonderful achievement! Please enjoy reading the article and please, please keep your donations coming; a little can make a big difference: www.biwabottleboat.com

Showing their passion for charity

Dusty and Roxy – two Shiga high school Assistant Language Teachers – are going to try to cross Lake Biwa on a homemade, recycled pet-bottle boat on July 16^th. This project is to raise money for Tohoku earthquake and tsunami orphans. They are incredibly enthusiastic about the project and said, “we really hope to accomplish the Biwa Bottle Boat Challenge (BBBC) for Japan – the country we love so much.’

They will cross the lake following Biwako Bridge (a distance of about 1.5km), from Moriyama to Otsu city.  Dusty said: “In America, when someone asks people to give money they must show how serious and enthusiastic they are,” he continued “they often do this through a performance or challenge.” So he had been wondering what the best way to support Tohoku as a teacher in Shiga would be, and finally he got an idea— the BBBC.

From March, Dusty and Roxy began to collect recycled PET bottles and also began training and learning paddling techniques from expert friends of theirs.

They finally finished building the handmade boat using 815 PET 500ml bottles without using glue. It measures about 2.2m×2.0m.

On July 3rd, they launched a website to ask people to donate money. Already they’ve collected more than 100,000 yen from people all over the world.

Roxy is shortly going to be finishing her work in Japan and will return to England to get married. She said, “the BBBC is a way of saying thank you to Japan and supporting Tohoku as much as I can.”

On the day of the boat ride, they will also have collection boxes for people to add donations to. All money raised will be sent to a volunteer group to help tsunami orphans in Tohoku.

The above article  was translated from Japanese into English by the wonderful Ms Momo Hashii who has given up so much of her time to helping us with our project! Momo is also responsible for translating all our English posts into Japanese. Thank you so much, Momo! We couldn’t have come this far without you.

こちらが私たちが今まで取り組んできた手作りボートの歴史です。

This is the story of how a giant pile of plastic bottles became a beautiful little boat…

すべては８１０個の捨てられていたペットボトルから始まりました。The Biwako English Speaking Societyのみなさまから５００個以上のペットボトルを集めていただきました。協力して下さり本当にありがとうございました！

It all began with 810 recycled plastic drinking bottles.
We greatly thank our friends at The Biwako English Speaking Society who collected over 500 bottles for us!

まず最初に、汚れたペットボトルはきれいに掃除し、すべてにキャップをきつく取り付けました。うれしいことに友達のモニーク（Monique）ジェローム（Jerome）がお手伝いにきてくれました。

After collecting, the real work began; we had to clean any unwashed bottles and almost all 810 needed the cap screwing on tightly – hand-blistering work! Luckily, we got by with a little help from our dear friends Monique and Jerome whose amazing efforts we couldn’t have done without.

作業は分担して行いました。

モニークはボトルの選別、ロキシーはカッターで切り取る作業を、ジェロームはひもでボトルをつないでいます。　ダスティはどこ！？

We soon formed a speedy production line, working like elves at Christmas!  Here Monique is sorting through the bottles, Roxy is cutting some to make pontoons and Jerome is tying them all together…but where is Dusty?

実はダスティも忙しくしていました。次の日、彼は一人でボートを仕上げました。

Here’s the cheeky chap! He was just as busy and the next day he added some finishing touches on his own.

ついに実際にボートが浮くかどうか近くの川でテストしてみました。この写真ではまだ完成していませんが、安全のためにのちほど両サイドに支えを追加しました。

多くの皆様からのご支援をよろしくおねがいいたします！

Although not quite finished, we took to the waves to test our little boat’s boyancy; she floated like a dream! We celebrated with a high-five at sunset and then headed home to finish our work. We built two outriggers to give her supreme stability and can now proudly say she is well and truly ready for her lake adventure!

You can read the next exciting chapter in this story here or follow our progress on Facebook, and if you would like to sponsor our epic journey, please follow this link: www.biwabottleboat.com

Thank you for all your support!

The end…. of chapter 1 

（義援金はこちら）: http://www.biwabottleboat.com/

親愛なるみなさまへ

みなさまこんにちは

私たちはこのたび、東日本大震災のための支援活動を企画しました。すこし長くなりますが一読していただければと思います

ダスティ　（Ｄｕｓｔｙ）と私（ロキシー、Ｒｏｘｙ）は只今、東日本大震災によって孤児となってしまった子供たちを支援するために義援金や支援を募っています。皆様の気持ちをすこしでも前向きにできないかと考えた結果、私たちはゴミとなっていたペットボトルを集めてボートを作り、それに乗ってここ、日本で最も大きな湖である琵琶湖を横断するというイベントを思いつきました！

開催日は今のところ７月１６日（土）を予定していますが、これから随時詳細の連絡をさせていただきます。もちろんイベントに参加できない方も、支援の気持ちを表すために「参加する」としていただければ何よりです！

３月１１日に起きた東日本大震災によって、多くの子供たちは突如として生まれ育った家や、大切な家族を奪われました。この震災と津波によって孤児となってしまった子供たちの数は200人を超えるという統計も出されています。そしてたとえ命が助かったとしても、子供たちが今直面している喪失感や心の痛みは計り知れないものがあります。私たちは、子供たちにできる限りの支援をしたいと考えています。

義援金はすべて、震災孤児を支援している東北キッズプロジェクト

http://www.smilekidsjapan.org/

に渡され、必要な物品の支給や心のケアなどの活動を数年にわたり行っていくためにあてられます。

また東北キッズプロジェクトでは子供たちに専門的なカウンセリングや幅広いセラピー活動を行い、震災によるショックから少しでも早く立ち直るための計画が建てられています。

このBBBC（Biwako Bottle Boat Challenge）活動によって少しでも多くの人の心が動かされ、義援金が集められることを願ってやみません。

あなたの支援は必ず　子供たちを助けてくれます

こちらのリンクから寄付ができますwww.biwabottleboat.com *このサイトを運営しているglobal giving　は赤十字社等と同様に信頼のおける公的な支援機構です。英語表記となっていますが難しくないので興味があるだけの方から気軽に見ていただければと思います。支援金額を選んでいただき、名前、アドレス、支払方法等を記入するようになっています。

一緒に力を合わせれば　きっと大きな変化が生まれます

愛と感謝を込めて…

Dusty and Roxy  （ 琵琶湖ボトルボートチャレンジャーより）