Who we are

Hi, we are a group of parents who make a great effort to send our Japanese-American children to a Saturday Japanese School located in San Francisco, in addition to their weekday public school education. It is important to us that our children learn about Japanese language and culture at a Saturday school so that they can connect with their peers, grandparents and most importantly, their heritage.

Our problem

However, transportation to school has become a strain on many families – heavy traffic, soaring gas prices, high bridge tolls, the commitment to spend the whole day in the city to avoid the cost of gas and tolls that would result from two roundtrips.

Our solution

After looking into many possible solutions, eg. public transit, buying or renting a van, hiring a driver, etc., the best solution we have come to is to hire a chartered bus. Other Bay Area communities have successfully implemented their community-organized busing projects, and we hope to model ourselves after their success.

We are raising funds to help pay for a school bus service that can safely take our children round trip, from the East Bay across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco every Saturday. This bus will help reduce the strain on the families tremendously and significantly reduce congestion near the school neighborhood.

A locally chartered bus costs $42,000 yearly to take our children to school every Saturday. Starting 2023, it will cost $60,000 a year due to increasing gas prices and inflation. At $60,000 per year, even after the bus service cost is split by the maximum number of riders ($100/month/child), the added expense to monthly school tuition payments is not affordable to many families, especially if they send multiple children to the school.

We are raising money through our fundraising events.

We are planning a community-based, family-oriented cultural fundraising event this fall where we sell food, baked goods, Japanese sweets and tea. At this event, a group of parents will perform a concert singing pop music. Children are also excited about the fundraiser and will contribute by selling lemonade at the event. We have also invited a Karate Dojo to show a demonstration and a Taiko group to perform for entertainment. The event will bring our communities together and bring in some funds. Yet with all this enthusiasm and energy, we are doubtful about our ability to put a significant dent in the $60,000 expense, immediately or in the following years.

We need help. We would appreciate your generous support in fundraising for the start of the bus service. The money raised will be spent solely on paying for the bus service. We are doing our best to pass down our culture and heritage so it will not be lost to the next generation.

Thank you for reading, and we appreciate your generous support!!

**********************************************

こんにちは。私たちはSF日本語補習校サンフランシスコ校に子どもを通わせているイーストベイ在住の保護者一同です。サンフランシスコ校では、子どもたちは日本で使用されている同じ教科書を用いて国語や算数などの授業を、毎週土曜日を中心に年間約46日間受けています。平日は現地校で英語を学ぶ子どもが、日本語に触れて学び、日本の文化や社会を知ることができる貴重な学習の場になっています。 

 しかし、通学させるためには、保護者の負担が重いのが現状です。補習校のあるSFサンセット地区へ往復による大渋滞、ガソリン価格の上昇、橋の通行料…イーストベイ在住の保護者は、ほぼ毎週土曜日早朝から夕方まで、ほぼ1日を補習校に費やしています。 

 私達は今回、イーストベイからサンフランシスコ校までのスクールバスを出すためのファンドレイジングを行うことにしました。子どもたちが持続的に通える環境を整えるメリットはもちろんのこと、何十台もの交通量を減らすエコ通学、また学校近隣住民への混雑による迷惑を減らすことにつながります。

 1年分のスクールバスチャーター費用が、この募集金額ですが、ご寄付はそちらに使用させていただきます。(他の地域でスクールバス運行に続き、私たちも同様に発足させたいと思っています。) 

 通学が困難なことにより日本語教育を諦めてしまった家庭も多いのですが、ご協力をいただきバス運行ができれば、日本教育を受けられる子どもが新しく増えることに繋がります。日本とアメリカの架け橋になっていくであろう大切な子ども達をこれから1人でも多く育てていくために、みなさんのご協力をどうぞよろしくお願いいたします。