YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --
The cobblestone entryway of Shisei Gakusha orphanage in Tachikawa leads to a field of grass, big enough for a casual game of soccer, surrounded by dorms and classrooms. One bright day, around 40 Yokota personnel showed up with a van load of burgers, drinks and oranges. They brought out tables, set up marquees, and lined up the food. A colorful, hand painted sign read "Welcome to Shisei Gakusha" in English and Kanji. Children gathered around to meet the volunteers, and together shouted "Welcome!" in unison.
The day was the result of the personal effort of two Yokota personnel. Mindy Ornellas, University of Maryland University College receptionist, seems full of enegy. She slipped seamlessly between English and Japanese as she communicated with Yokota volunteers, orphanage staff and Kim Do, 374th Force Support Squadron marketing director.
In the Philippines, Ornellas used to organize trips to orphanages. She wanted to do the same thing here in Japan, so she joined with Do to begin the project.
Do and Ornellas began calling around, and eventually found the director of Shisei Gakusha, Tashikazu Takahashi, and formed a plan to volunteer.
Ornellas and Do sent out an email to personnel around Yokota. They had such a large response that they had to cap the number of volunteers at 40. The volunteers brought table games, sports and little prizes, all from donations.
"We put the word out and it was really cool too see people around base who don't know us to give such an outpour of response," Do said. "There's really a lot of good will around the base."
After the children and volunteers ate, they played games on the tables and in the courtyard. The children won pencils and erasers from games, and received wrapped notebooks and little bags of candy.
According to Takahashi, there are 140 children at Shisei Gakusha from 0-18 years of age. Seventy percent of the children come from abusive homes, and most of the others have no parents.
"My grandfather and the Takahashi clan started a small orphanage 100 years ago," Takahashi said. "That was how this orphanage started."
According to Ornellas, Shisei Gakusha is a large and well-kept facility compared to many orphanages.
"We are trying to keep the ambience of the orphanage like a normal school," Takahashi said. "We have dance and sports clubs and piano recitals."
Some of the children are shy, others are interactive. They talked, played and giggled, but the children weren't the only ones who benefitted from the visit.
"I had an amazing time with the kids and other volunteers!" said Airman 1st Class Kris Evron Arcega, 374th Force Support Squadron career development journeyman. "I enjoyed running around, playing and laughing with them. It was an experience I will never forget."
Arcega said that her favorite part was playing nendo, or play-dough, with the kids. She enjoyed their creativity, energy and smiles.
"It was absolutely worth it!" Arcega said. "One great way to embody one of our core values, 'service before self' is seeing the needs of others and tending those needs selflessly. Just like my experience at the orphanage, with children were abandoned and/or abused. The few hours that we devoted to talking to them and playing with them were no doubt extremely precious to them."
"They're just like any other kids most of the time," said Gou Shimizu, clinical psychologist at Shisei Gakusha. "Sometimes at night they have memories of violence, or think about the fact that they don't have families. Because of their experiences, many have short tempers, but for the most part they are like any other kids. They're innocent and good kids."
According to Shimizu, adoption is not a popular option in Japan. This may be because of a combination of adoption laws and the culture. Foster care is much more common, and many of the children at Shisei Gakusha have a regular partnership with a family that they visit on weekends.
According to Takahashi, the school is in need of English teachers, which he offers as an opportunity for Yokota personnel to become more involved. Contact and further information can be found on the website, www.gakusha.org. The English translation is available on a tab at the top of the page.