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Community Corner

Little Voices Make Loud Effort to Aid Stricken Japan

Japanese children from Niles preschool perform songs at benefit, with proceeds going to quake-ravaged areas.

While Japanese moms from across Chicago's suburbs folded origami and handed out balloon animals Sunday, all eyes were on their 3- to 6-year-old children, who wanted to do what they could to help the people back in their devastated homeland.

The littlest ones sang, and the slightly older ones beat traditional Japanese drums, in a in an  effort to raise money to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11.

(Watch the video at upper right.)

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The children attend the Japanese preschool at St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Niles. Many families at the school have relatives and friends in Japan who are missing or suffering in some way in the wake of the natural disaster that hit the country's eastern coast, wiping out entire towns and killing at least 9,000 people.

The performance took place at Mitsuwa Marketplace, a Japanese grocery store, food court and collection of retail stores in Arlington Heights.

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Minori Yamaki, director of the preschool, said her students have felt compassion for victims ever since March 11, when news of the earthquake arrived.

"That morning, my kids came to school really shocked," she said. "They were really worried about the people in Japan."

Yamaki said she made an effort to not so much focus on the catastrophe, but more on what the children could do to help. Their gift to Japan came in the form of song.

"They wanted to dance for people to send a message that: 'We are thinking of you, even though we are far away from Japan; we are still thinking of you,' " she explained.

Among several selections was a traditional Japanese graduation celebration song, which Yamaki prefaced by saying it was dedicated to those in Japan who could not enjoy their own graduation this month due to the disaster. Many in the large performance space at the store sang along, some wiping away tears.

Yamaki said compassion is an important virtue taught at St. Matthew's.

"To someone in need, you extend a helping hand," she said. "Even though they are little, their hands are so small, their voices are so soft but when they get together, they can do a great thing.

"They will remember what happened today, and what the parents did today, and how we help people when they are in need. We have to teach our children how they can show love to one another," the preschool director said.

While it was unclear how much money had been raised by Sunday afternoon, a strong show of community support was visible. Donations were accepted in exchange for individuals' names written in Japanese characters on ceramic tiles, origami cranes and balloon animals.

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