Sophia Magazine vol.2 / WINTER 2015

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were some of the first volunteer responders on the ground in disaster-affected areas, focusing on the safety of the schools and students in their respective areas. They were committed to their students and the local communities.The Andersons thus believe that through the direct in-volvement of the people affected by the disaster, the most beneficial programs can be identified. It was crucial to make connections with people, and share ideas and les-sons learned. Their Japanese friends, including Fujisaki, responded to the call to establish a fund to this end. With this shared vision, the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund was established.The overall mission of the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund is to enhance bilateral exchange between the region and the U.S. and to help the community of Ishinomaki City recover at the grassroots level, and assist in rebuilding and revitalization efforts. Specific programs include scholarship programs and cultural exchange initiatives. In terms of scholarships, the Fund has established the Scholarships to Live Dreams and Move Forward program, which helps local high school students continue their educa-tion through study at vocational schools such as the Sendai YMCA Hotel School. Students learn hospitality skills and find employment at major hotels with diverse international clientele. Cultural exchange initiatives are also an important pil-lar of the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund’s activities. The TOMODACHI Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund Research Exchange Program 2015 invites students from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia — Taylor’s alma mater — and Ishinomaki Senshu University to study about the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami and continuing recovery ef-“If Taylor had been able, she would have wanted to help,” said Jeanne. “If she had survived the disaster, she would not have come home. She would have stayed. She would have taken care of the people she knew,” Andy elaborated, “That is how a lot of other JETs felt as well. They were saying, ‘This is not the time you leave. It is the time you stay.’” Indeed, JETs Ichiro Fujisaki was the Japanese Ambassador to the United States from May 2008 to November 2012, before becoming a Distinguished Professor and International Strategic Advisor at Sophia University in January 2013.He is the Co-President of the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund.Ichiro FujisakiThe Taylor Anderson MemorialFund’s Educational InitiativesThe Japanese media reported the activities of the Andersons as a big story. The Asahi Shim-bun, Above: March 24, 2011 Left: September 12, 2015Taylor Anderson was an Assistant Language Teacher on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, when the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami struck in March 2011. She was the first confirmed American victim of the disaster and was last seen helping her students to safety. She was 24 years old. She was al-ways caring and a dedicated teacher. Everyone, adults and children, loved her. Shortly after her death, her parents, Andy and Jeanne Anderson decided to carry her torch by promoting intercultural exchanges and helping the community recover from the devastating disaster. They thus established the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund. Ichiro Fujisaki, former Japanese Ambassador to the United States and current Distin-guished Professor at Sophia University, who has be-come a good friend of the Andersons, co-chairs the Fund with Andy Anderson. 22Special Talk