Twinsburg And Solon Teens Raise Aid for Japan

When Jane Tang visited China, years after a massive earthquake rocked the nation and claimed 69,000 lives, she couldn’t believe how the devastating event still affected the country.

The senior was shocked by the amount of destruction and the slow trickle of aid. So when Tang heard about the tsunami and earthquakes that hit Japan earlier this month, she didn’t want to see the same thing happen again.

“I realized relief was a bit slow to arrive for the victims in China, and I didn’t want that to happen in Japan,” Tang said.

When sophomore Cameron Beason learned about the tragic events, he, too, felt compelled to act. The two had been friends through an Asian hip-hop dance group called A-PoPhasis, and it was Beason who suggested they join forces to help.

“The weekend the disaster happened and it was all over the news, I talked to her and said we should do something more than just donating money,” Beason said. “Maybe plan an event and something to get the community involved.”

Tang and Beason will host “Benefit For Japan” at the Asia Plaza in Cleveland’s Chinatown at 6 p.m. Saturday to help raise money for the American Red Cross. The two have been working for weeks to plan the event.

“I thought it was a really good idea because after the disaster we felt like we all had the resources to do something, but none of us had done anything yet,” Tang said. “We got together and started planning all the things we could do to help Japan.”

Beason said they wanted to do something to make a difference for those who are desperately in need.

“My heart really went out to all the people who lost their homes and are missing family members,” Beason said. “It was really devastating. I really just wanted to do something about it.”

While the two have been hard at work, they have gotten a lot of help from Tang’s sister, who helps plan the Cleveland Asian Festival. They wanted to make sure they had a Japanese-themed performance and will feature groups such as Icho Daiko, Dekiru Daiko, Mame Daiko, Sho Jo Ji Japanese Dancers, CCCCA Yin Tang Dance, and the Karate Institute. Of course their group A-PoPhasis will be performing as well. They will also sell benefit T-shirts to raise money.

The duo hopes that by spreading awareness, they can do some good to help those whose lives have been shattered by the tragedy.

“We just want to raise attention to the disaster and how devastating it was to Japan,” Beason said. “Definitely enjoy the performances and the night, but we encourage people to donate and help out.”

“I want people to realize that while we hear about these disasters on the news, we don’t see much except for video and pictures, but it really does affect all of the people there,” Tang said. “It will have a long-lasting effect on them.”