Whiteley School in Hoffman Estates to host Japan Relief Fair

The tight-knit community of Japanese families at Frank C. Whiteley School in Hoffman Estates consider themselves blessed after learning last month’s devastating earthquake and tsunami caused no harm to relatives.

They also consider it their duty to help those suffering back home.

With everyone eager to contribute, the families will host a Japan Relief Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the Hoffman Estates school’s cafeteria, 4335 Haman Ave.

“This is a way to introduce some Japanese culture and get more people’s attention to support this cause,” said Yuko Nakagawa, a native of Japan and bilingual teacher at Whiteley for the past 10 years.

All District 15 community members are welcome to attend the fair, the proceeds from which will benefit the American Red Cross as it deals with the catastrophe’s aftermath.

Latest estimates show 27,600 people are either dead or missing following the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan’s northeast coast March 11, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

For a donation, fair attendees can paint their names in Japanese, make origami airplanes, participate in a tea ceremony, play games and eat Japanese rice balls.

It’s fitting that Whiteley is hosting the event, given it’s home to 40 of the roughly 75 Japanese families in District 15. A number of Japanese companies own nearby townhouses for executives transferred to the area.

Nakagawa said Japanese people are used to earthquakes, so she didn’t realize the severity of the March 11 disaster until the images were broadcast on television. Teachers have since turned the tragedy into a learning opportunity, and Japanese parents are assisting students in creating paper cranes — the symbol of peace in Japan — to sell during lunch periods.

Principal Mary Szuch has seen the Japanese population grow since she taught at Whiteley when it first opened and in the last seven years as principal. A few years ago, she spent two weeks visiting businesses and schools in Japan with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Chicago.

“We’re very aware of those strong connections that many of our students have to Japan,” said Szuch. “We wanted to acknowledge and give support to our Japanese families.”