First, let me introduce myself. After years of service to Hands on Tokyo, Steve Lin has retired from the Board of Directors and it is my honor and privilege to step in as the Chairman of HOT. I very much look forward to meeting many of you in the days and months to come.

As we begin 2012 we also wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your support last year, particularly the many sponsors and volunteers who helped Hands on Tokyo have such impact. As you will see below, despite the severe challenges of 2011, thanks to your generosity and time, all of us have made significant contributions to communities in need in Tokyo and Tohoku. A special thanks to each of you who has helped to improve the lives of so many people in Japan.

We organized almost 300 projects in the Tokyo area with 2,000 volunteers. These projects and the volunteers who participated reached over 5,000 people in need.

Over 1,100 people contributed to earthquake and tsunami relief, beginning with the volunteers who helped to organize the supplies we sent to Tohoku from March. From June to December we also organized 26 projects in Miyagi and 800 people took days from their busy schedules to help us clean debris, deliver supplies to shelters and temporary housing and host café and food events for those affected.

We will continue both our ongoing Tokyo-based projects and our Tohoku work in 2012 and we hope that you will be part of those activities. We are always looking for more volunteers for our ongoing projects, particularly Blind Tennis, Basketball and Bowling. We also have a need for volunteers in the Hands on Tokyo office and Site Captains for various Tokyo and Tohoku projects. If you are interested in getting involved or playing more of a leadership role with HOT, please reach out to us at info@handsontokyo.org.

Lastly, on Friday, February 3 we will host our annual charity auction event, "A Taste for Volunteering" at THE CAPITOL HOTEL TOKYU. We still have tickets available and would like as many of our supporters and volunteers as possible to join us for a fun evening of great food, superb wine and unique auction items. Please visit our website or register at hot.tfv.admin@handsontokyo.org.

We hope to see you again soon. Thank you.