Thanks to supporters like you, 2010 was a very successful year for Hands On Tokyo.

We exceeded our goals and expanded our services to people in need because of the generosity and commitment of people like you. We arranged over 230 volunteer activities with 2,000 volunteers, and gave back 4,200 volunteer hours to 6,000 recipients in the community this year. With the launch of our new website and rollout of new projects, we have been able to recruit more volunteers, increase our total registered volunteers to 2,000, and increase the number of regular volunteer projects to 20.

Hands On Tokyo has mainly organized easy-to-access volunteer opportunities to date.  However, our volunteers have begun to ask for more committed volunteer opportunities where they can establish a deeper relationship with the people they serve. As a result, for the upcoming year, Hands On Tokyo plans to offer a range of volunteer programs not only in terms of the breadth of causes and NPO partners we support through our activities, but also in terms of the breadth of the depth of the volunteers' commitment and time to a particular volunteer activity or activities. 

It is our privilege to continue developing programs that meet the needs of the community, our sponsors, and those of our volunteers.

In terms of funding, we continue to be supported by many generous companies and individuals in a difficult fundraising environment. Our annual fundraising event, the Taste For Volunteering will be held on February 4, 2011 and we hope that you will be able to join us at the Capitol Hotel Tokyu. We have updated our corporate program and welcome the opportunity to meet with you to see how Hands On Tokyo might be able to support you in your community service goals in 2011.

It has truly been an honor and a pleasure to volunteer alongside you this year.

We wish you the best during the holiday season and a prosperous 2011!

Lastly, we would like to inform you of our holiday office hours. Our office will be closed from December 30^th - January 4^th. We look forward to volunteering with you again next year.

We are very excited to announce that almost 700 more people have registered as a Hands On Tokyo volunteer this year, which brings our total to 2,000 registered volunteers. About half of HOT volunteers are Japanese, and the other half are international volunteers representing a total of 42 nations. We are very proud to be able to volunteer with such a diverse group of individuals. At this time, we would like to introduce 3 of our international volunteers who have been volunteering regularly through Hands On Tokyo.

Besides the 12 ongoing projects described on the website, Hands On Tokyo is launching a few new projects involving a group of dedicated volunteers who are committed to volunteering regularly with one child or group of children throughout the year.

One of these projects is called the "HOT Professional Series." Once the children turn 18, they must leave the home and live independently. Since many of them do not have an adequate support system, there are countless job-related challenges that these children face. This program invites professionals in many fields to speak to junior high and high school students about their jobs, their career paths, and how they overcame obstacles they have faced in life or at work.

Another project HOT is developing is the "English Tutoring Project" which aims to have a volunteer or a dedicated group of volunteers tutor a child or a small group of children in English. Native English-speakers visit the group home and tutor high school students in group and one-to-one sessions. Since English is a dominant global language, this project aims to improve the children's communication abilities so that they can meet various people and seize more opportunities in life.

We are also developing a partnership with Tyler Foundation, which supports children with cancer and their families. Hands On Tokyo is supporting their program, "Shine On! House," which provides children and their families with a safe place to interact outside of their home and hospital environment.

In developing these programs, our partners have stressed the importance of having the same volunteers come and interact with the children and create a trusting and nurturing environment. For this reason, we have not been promoting these projects on our website.

However, if you are interested in volunteering long-term and on a regular basis or would like more information, please contact Hands On Tokyo (03-3583-2135 / info@handsontokyo.org).