The Minuteman: The Official Newspaper of Newark Academy since 1940

The Minuteman

The Official Newark Academy Newspaper

“Every Bit Counts:” Nikki Blank on the Tragedy in Japan

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By Tyler Goff ’14, Staff Writer

With the help of NA’s Student Council, Nikki Blank ’11 organized and directed the recent fundraiser for Japan. Students and teachers alike gave donations for a casual day, and some purchased original t-shirts sold in the cafeteria. Throughout these days Nikki raised over $3,000 for Japan. What drove Nikki to go above and beyond what a typical fundraiser entails? According to Nikki, the reason was two-fold: she had traveled to Japan several times, and her father was in Japan at the time of the earthquake and tsunami.

Pranav Katti '12 models one of the many t-shirts sold to raise money for Japanese Relief. T-shirt design by Nikki Blank '11. (Photograph by Christopher Davis '12)
When disaster struck Japan last March, Nikki’s father was conducting business in Tokyo. He was in an office building when he evacuated to higher ground to avoid the tsunami. As time went on, he was airlifted out of the country, and is now safely at home. Nikki was not only motivated  because of her father’s first hand experience with the disaster, but also because Nikki had “been to Japan twice in August and September” and subsequently “fell in love with the country.” “The people there are so polite and kind,” she said, “I felt connected to it…and seeing everything in the news, I just knew I had to do something.”

Her enthusiasm for the fundraiser was most profoundly shown in the unique t-shirts she created, sporting an origami crane on the front side. Nikki described the crane as a symbol of hope and put it on her t-shirts because she had “visited Hiroshima,…saw the cranes there, and knew they represented hope.” She strives to send a “message of hope” to Japan.

Nikki considers the fundraiser a success. She sent the money she raised to the Red Cross, where 90% of it will be used in the relief effort for Japan. Even though Nikki did not know where the money was going specifically, she believed that the money raised would help Japan. “Every bit counts,” she said, “Any money raised would be helpful.”

Editor’s Note:

Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief fund.

Standard Text Messaging Rates Apply.

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