“Disaster Relief Funds”
Aomori’s Friends Donate $14,000
Tsugaru City’s Sister City: Bath, United States
July 13, 2011 (Mutsu Shinpou)
Author: Keiko Yamamoto
Here is a scan of the original article: Mutsu Shinpou Newspaper Article (Japanese). The translation below was provided by Michael Moses, Coordinator of International Relations in Tsugaru City.
In an effort to aid the victims of the major earthquake that struck Eastern Japan, the Bath-Tsugaru Sister City Program sent 14,000 dollars to Aomori Prefecture’s Disaster Relief Account. Tsugaru City and Bath, Maine, U.S.A. are sister cities.
Tsugaru City and Bath have had a relationship since 1889, when the Cheseborough, a cargo ship from Bath, crashed off the shore of Shariki Village and the village saved some of the crewmen. Currently, the two cities engage in the Cheseborough Cup and the mutual exchange trips.
The Bath-Tsugaru Sister City Program, which is currently in the process of planning for the exchange trip from Tsugaru to Bath, sponsored two fundraising events, a Cheseborough Swim and an auction. On June 17, the program sent the $8,930 raised through the swim and auction, as well as $5,070 gathered from Bath citizens and organizations, to Japan.
Deborah Patten, the president of the Bath-Tsugaru Exchange Program, had the following warm message for Japan: “On March 11th, the people of Bath were very distressed to see and hear of events in Japan, and responded in many ways … We sincerely hope that these funds will help you all recover.”
Picture Caption: Cheseborough Swim fundraising event held by Bath (Picture provided by Tsugaru City)