Supporting Our Friends and Colleagues in Japan

The devastating earthquake, tsunami and their aftermath in Japan have created a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. All of us in the metal clay community have ties to Japan, the birthplace of metal clay and home to the two largest manufacturers of metal clay in the world. Many of the caring and generous members of the global metal clay community have expressed a desire to help and support those in Japan who have lost so much - in many cases, everything - as a result of this horrific disaster.

Metal clay artists and organizations around the world have been making donations to organizations that are providing disaster relief in Japan. Members of the Metal Clay Gallery group on Yahoo! - the largest online community of international metal clay artists - have organized an opportunity to pool contributions into a larger, collective donation on behalf of the global metal clay community.

The group has chosen Shelterbox.org as the recipient of the collective donation. Shelterbox is a terrific organization with a proven track record of providing disaster relief quickly, effectively and efficiently to those who need it most. (Learn more about Shelterbox's wonderful work further down in this post.)

For those who would like to contribute to this group donation to Shelterbox along with other members of the international metal clay community, Jackie Truty of Art Clay World, USA has generously volunteered to collect our contributions via PayPal through Monday, March 21. She will send the total amount collected to Shelterbox as a group donation on behalf of the Global Metal Clay Community on Tuesday, March 22.

Please note that this group donation itself is not affiliated with Art Clay World or Art Clay products specifically. The disaster is not brand-specific, and neither is the support of the metal clay community. Jackie simply has volunteered the use of Art Clay World's PayPal account to provide an easy, central collection point for donations from the entire metal clay community, regardless of personal metal clay brand preferences. Thank you, Jackie!

To make a contribution to the group donation:

• Log into your personal PayPal account.
• Click on the Send Money tab.
• In the form, click on the Personal tab.
• Select Other.
• In the To field, type Jackie@artclayworld.com.
• Enter the amount of your donation and select your currency from the pulldown box.
• Click "Continue".
• Review the default Payment Method (and click the "change" link if you want to change it).
• In the Email to recipient box, change the Subject to Shelterbox donation and in the Message area, type Shelterbox donation for Japan and your e-mail address.
• Click the Send Money button.

You will have the option to add the PayPal transaction fee to your payment, if you wish, so that it will not be deducted from you donation and will go to Shelterbox instead to help those in need in Japan. Also, Jackie/Art Clay World will not divulge the amount of individual donations to anyone (even small donations add up quickly!), and the group donation will be made with no individual recognition. Instead, it will be credited to the Global Metal Clay Community, in the spirit in which it is being made.

Again, contributions to this group donation will be accepted only until Monday, March 21 so that the Shelterboxes we fund can get to those who need them in Japan as quickly as possible.

UPDATE: After just one day, more than $1,000 in contributions have been sent to the group donation already! In order for the disaster victims to receive their Shelterbox relief equipment, tools and supplies as quickly as possible, Jackie has just sent a $1,000 donation to Shelterbox on behalf of the Global Metal Clay Community so that our first Shelterbox can get on its way to Japan without further delay. As additional contributions reach increments of $1,000, she will send the money to Shelterbox right away. On March 22, a final donation will be sent to Shelterbox for the balance of the contributions, which will help fund another box for disaster victims. Thank you to the global metal clay community for demonstrating your caring and generosity once again!!!

What Shelterbox Is and What It Does

Based in Cornwall, UK, ShelterBox is a highly respected international disaster relief charity that delivers emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by disaster worldwide. Its approach to disaster relief is to "deliver the essentials a family needs to survive in the immediate aftermath of a disaster." We've all seen the heartbreaking images from Japan. So many men, women and children suddenly have become homeless, lacking both shelter and the basic necessities of daily living. Those essential resources are what Shelterbox provides. Each large box is tailored to the relief needs of a particular disaster. Typically it contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, stove, basic tool kit, and other vital items. Japan is the primary focus of this wonderful organization's disaster relief efforts right now. The cost of each Shelterbox is $1000 USD. These boxes bring much more than just essential survival necessities: They also deliver hope to families and individuals who need it desperately.

If you'd like to make an individual donation directly to Shelterbox:

Visit the Shelterbox.org web site. UK citizens can just click on the Donate button. If you are from another country, the home page features links to their international sites where you can donate. Just click on the flag for your country, or select your country from the pulldown box at the bottom right of the page.

This post is not a solicitation for donations. It is a way to help spread the word to members of our community about a wonderful opportunity to participate in a group donation on behalf of the global metal clay community, and to let anyone who is looking for a meaningful way to help the disaster victims in Japan know about the Shelterbox organization and its work.

Of course, there are many other worthy organizations to which you can make donations to help the relief effort in Japan, if you wish. It's a good idea to check the percentage of the money that goes to administrative costs vs. the amount that goes to the relief efforts themselves.

For those of you who haven't heard already, the PMC Guild has made a contribution to an internationally recognized relief organization on behalf of its members. Thanks to Tim, Nettie and the entire PMC Guild leadership for their generous contribution on our behalf! As always, I'm very proud to be a Guild member.

Heartfelt and personal thanks to all the members of our wonderful global metal clay community for demonstrating your extraordinary caring and generous collective spirit once again. Our hearts, thoughts, and are with the people of Japan.

~ Margaret