Disasters in Recent History Struck

¶ … disasters in recent history struck Japan: a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that centered just off the coast of the Japanese island of Honshu. According to the United States Geological Survey, in the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, "at least 15,703 people were killed, 4,647 missing, 5,314 injured, 130,927 displaced and at least 332,395 buildings, 2,126 roads, 56 bridges and 26 railways destroyed or damaged." (USGS) Being of Asian descent, I naturally felt sympathy and solidarity with those people who have suffered so much, and I wanted to do something to help. However, being a 17-year-old high school student, I believed that there was not much I could do except sit by and helplessly watch the images of death and suffering. That is until I came up with an idea to do my part in helping them: a clothing drive.

I have always been the kind of student who concentrates on schoolwork, gets good grades (mostly a's), doesn't get into trouble, and is liked by other students. While I am not overly athletic, I have had some success on the cross-country and track teams and have even participated in musical activities; taking lessons with the piano and guitar. But while I been a participant in many activities and social clubs, it was not until I saw the devastation of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami that I found myself taking the lead in an effort to help.

Never having organized anything before in my life, I undertook to organize and lead an effort to collect simple, but extremely necessary items for the people of Japan who had lost everything: clothing and shoes. In my school, I used contacts with others in social clubs, as well as athletic teams, to organize a clothing drive which collected enough clothing and shoes to help 250 Japanese victims. I also organized the collection of funds so that I could send these items to those who needed them so badly. While my effort did not ease the suffering of the hundreds of thousands effected by the devastation, I was able to do a small part to help others.

Organizing a clothing drive for the unfortunate people of Japan has taught me some very important lessons: firstly, no matter how big a problem seems, there is always something that I can do, and secondly, I have learned that I may have some leadership abilities. Japan may seem a long way away from a high school in America, but the images shown on the nightly news of people suffering horrendous conditions are real people, like myself. Although the tragedy may have happened on the other side of the world, there is something that I could do, just a small part in the overall effort to aid the thousands of suffering Japanese, my part. And while my part may have been small in the larger scale, the overall effort could not have succeeded without thousands of people doing their small part. I am proud to have been a small part of that effort.