San Mateo Residents Continue to Send Aid to Japan

Original article: SanMateoPatch.com

It’s been a month since a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami rocked Japan, wiping out entire towns and villages and killing more than 18,000 people.

The tragedy of the event was felt immediately in San Mateo, where a large Japanese-American community has thrived for a century. With such strong ties to the affected region, San Mateo community members and business leaders immediately sprang into action, sending monetary and other support to the victims in Japan.

Though the story is slowly fading from American headlines, many San Mateo residents are continuing to work on behalf of the people of Japan. As Patch reporter Richgail Enriquez found out, local business leaders like Gene Takahashi of Takahashi Market and Eiichi Mochizuki of Shabuwayrestaurant – whose “Hope to Japan” fundraiser raised $80,000 in aid money – say that local residents have shown enormous empathy for the victims in Japan.

In this video, Enriquez shows us what these local leaders are doing to help Japan during difficult times.

“Song For Lolo”

A wonderful original composition from renowned Filipino American saxophonist, Eddie Ramirez. After this performance, he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

I was lucky enough to catch this free concert at the 3rd Annual San Francisco Filipino American Jazz Festival April 2nd at the Koret Auditorium, San Francisco Library.

The event was presented by the San Francisco Filipino American Jazz Festival, San Francisco Public Library, African American Center, Filipino American Center, and the Filipino American National Historical Society

*April is Jazz Appreciation Month