Status of our fundraising efforts...

(4 month old baby found alive amid rubble)

Mika and I would first like to send out a warm thank you to all of our friends and family who donated to our collection fund.  We are very happy to announce that we have reached our goal of raising $1,000.  We are still continuing our efforts to raise funds and awareness about the crisis in Japan.  We are in the process of planning a benefit at Bourbon Street.  We will keep this blog updated with developments on the benefit.

Next, I would like to take some time here on the blog to let all of you know what will happen with the funds we have collected.  The majority of funds have been collected through PayPal.  I have been in contact with PayPal several times since March 11 and since we started this blog/collection page.   We had originally planned to bring the funds we collected, in hand, as far as we physically could to the affected areas by this month's earthquake and tsunami.

As a result of the conversations had with PayPal, we had to make a small change of plans.  We decided to donate the collected funds to Direct Relief International's Japan Relief and Recovery Fund.  Direct Relief International is working with the Japanese American Citizen League to provide funds in the areas most affected areas of northeastern Japan.  These funds will be used to continue the clean-up effort, continue the search/rescue/recovery effort, to support evacuation centers that are temporarily providing shelter to survivors of the earthquake/tsunami, etc.

We will keep this blog posted with updates on our fundraising efforts.

Thank you again to all who have contributed.  With your help, we have been able to make a difference in the lives of those who have suffered so much.

Sincerely,

Brian & Mika Hampson

Update on the situation in Japan (3/21)

The death toll is still rising in the wake of Japan's most devastating earthquake on record. On March 11, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake shook beneath the ocean off of the northeast coast of the main island. A massive tsunami measuring over 30-ft. swept the northeastern coastline, taking with it thousands of people's lives.

Even for those who survived the quake and the ensuing tsunami, survival now means finding means to stay warm enough, to stay hydrated, and to stay as well-fed as possible. Deaths have been reported in evacuation sites due to lack of sufficient fuel for heating and lack of food/water supplies.

As of this afternoon the number of confirmed dead and still missing are:

Confirmed Dead: 8,649
Reported Still missing: 13,262
Total: 21,911

Over 340,000 survivors have been displaced by the damage from the quake, tsunami, and also the 20km evacuation radius due to the situation at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.

My wife and I are doing what we can to collect funds to donate in order to help those affected most by last week's disasters.  We are nearing our goal of $1,000. Once we reach that, we will donate to the most affected areas.

Thank you to all who have help so far. Just checking in on this blog means a lot to us. Thank you, also, to those who have contributed. We honestly hope that this money will make a difference for those that have lost so much.

Donations can be made through PayPal (click donate):

or through the post office:

Japan Needs Help 2011
Brian Hampson
P.O. Box 717
Worth, IL 60482-0717

Thank you for your help and consideration,

Brian & Mika Hampson

Updates on the situation in Japan (3/19)

Yesterday (3/18) was the 1 week mark after the massive earthquake and devastating tsunami that hit northeast Japan.  My wife and I have been trying to raise funds to donate to those in need.

The statistics as of today (Saturday, 3/19) are:

Confirmed Dead: 7,653 (this number surpassed the number of those killed in the Kobe earthquake in 1995)
Still Missing: 11,746

One week later, rescue efforts have seemingly changed to recovery efforts.  At exactly 2:46pm local time on Friday, a moment of silence was held throughout the country to honor those dead / still missing.

The road to recovery will take years, not to mention millions, if not billions of dollars.  My wife and I are trying to collect funds to donate in order to aid survivors.  Having survived the earthquake and tsunami, now some survivors are dying in evacuation centers due to lack of heat, lack of food, lack of drinkable water, and lack of medical supplies.

While relief efforts are going on in the most affected areas, Japan is now facing another potential disaster:

6 nuclear reactors and the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant were damaged in the earthquake and ensuing tsunami.  While some of the reactors received less damage, explosions have occurred in the buildings that house other reactors due to a lack of water in the cooling pool for spent fuel rods.

If this situation cannot be contained, these fuel rods could melt, releasing dangerous amounts of radiation into the air.









We are doing what we can to help.  Our goal is to donate $1,000 to help those in need the most.  We have around $850 collected, so we're getting close.  With your help, we can make a difference in the lives of people who have been affected by these disasters.

Contributions by check:

Japan Needs Help 2011
Brian Hampson
P.O. Box 717
Worth, IL 60482-0717

Contributions by PayPal (click donate)

Thank you to those who have donated already, and thank you for reading about our cause.  We are trying to make any difference we can to help people in Japan who have lost so much.

Brian & Mika Hampson

Update on conditions in affected areas of Japan

The death toll in Japan has broken 6,400.  More than 10,000 are still missing.

Conditions for survivors are deteriorating.  Food supplies cannot be replenished due to lack of fuel for transport trucks.  Sickness due to cold weather and malnutrition have started to spread and affect survivors, in particular, elderly survivors.

At the same time, multiple news sources are reporting multiple opinions about the situation going on at the nuclear power plants in Fukushima.  From where we are, it's difficult to know which story to believe.

Regardless, we are continuing to put the word out about our cause.  We will do our best to help those who are in the most need.

Thank you to those who have offered their support so far.  This support is very much appreciated.

Our efforts continue...

Japan Needs Help 2011

Brian Hampson

P.O. Box 717

Worth, IL 60482-0717

Brian & Mika Hampson

Update (3/17)

We are trying to help those who have lost so much.  Please watch this video.  We apologize if the video begins with a non-related advertisement.




Confirmed Dead: over 5,300
Still Reported Missing: over 9,300

Japan Needs Help 2011

Brian Hampson

P.O. Box 717

Worth, IL 60482-0717

or click donate for PayPal

Japan Needs Help 2011...Why we are helping.

This is why we are helping.  Please, please take the time to watch the entire video.

Japan Needs Help 2011

Brian Hampson

P.O. Box 717

Worth, IL 60482-0717

or click donate for PayPal

Any and all help is much appreciated.

Brian & Mika

Update on Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant

Efforts are being made to cool the nuclear reactors.  Military helicopters are dumping 7.5 tons of water onto the damaged reactors.  Riot control vehicles are also en route to use their hoses to blast water into the reactors in efforts to resupply cooling pools.

Something like this has never been attempted before.  Helicopter crews and vehicle drivers are also exposing themselves to potentially dangerous levels of radiation.

While this is happening, more than 330,000 people are struggling to stay warm and find food in evacuation centers throughout the affected areas.

We will try to do whatever we can to help.  $1 will pay for a toothbrush for someone who hasn't brushed their teeth since last week.  $5 will pay for a blanket so that 7 people don't have to share 1 blanket because there isn't enough fuel to run the heater.  $10 will pay for food that keeps the search/rescue teams working hard or pay for food that will help evacuees get food into their systems.

Every little bit helps.

Japan Needs Help 2011

Brian Hampson

P.O. Box 717

Worth, IL 60482-0717

or click donate for PayPal