Wristbands and Raffle Tickets: Kimiko Kossler Takes Matters into Her Own Hands

There are 6762 miles separating Waterville, Maine from Japan. A plane ride to go visit would be roughly 12 hours long. The time difference is 13 hours. Yet for California native Kimiko Kossler, the recent earthquake hit all too close to home. She has helped create “Colby Loves Japan,” a campaign to raise money for the Japanese Red Cross Society.
            First, of course, are wristbands. The white silicon bands say, “Colby Loves Japan” in red and cost $5. Then there is the raffle. Students can enter to win a variety of different prizes. The campaign will culminate on April 22 with an evening of performance in Strider Theater. Colby’s Taiko drum ensemble will be performing, as well as potentially a group from Bowdoin and a professional group based out of Portland. An African drumming group might take part as well. The goal of the campaign is to reach $5,000 in student donations. With the help of individual donors (both student and faculty, as well as generous outside donors not directly affiliated with Colby), $4,000 has already been raised. “We had one girl come by a few weeks ago and buy a few raffle tickets, and then a bracelet. She came back after spring break with a check.”
            Kossler has also found that Colby students are eager to do more than just donate. Many students have emailed Kossler, explaining that they saw her posts in the General Announcements and want to get involved. Colby Loves Japan now has a large group of student volunteers helping sell bracelets and tickets. “It’s great to see how responsive people have been,” Kossler said. “I think a lot of times Colby students don’t give themselves enough credit. This just goes to show how effective we can actually be.”
            There is, of course, a story behind Kossler’s decision to engage in this campaign. Kossler’s mother grew up in Japan, and much of her family still lives there. This past January Kossler traveled over to visit some of these relatives and to teach at a local school. It was her second time in the country, and she developed an immediate attachment. “It’s different, with these kinds of tragedies, when you have a personal connection to the place- when you can put faces to the people being affected.” Kossler had a midterm the day the earthquake hit. She was on her way to take the exam when her roommate ran over and told her what had happened.  Later that afternoon Kossler sat down and did some research of her own. “It got to the point where I couldn’t look at any of the pictures without choking up. It was physically painful for me to see them.” She knew she had to do something.
            It should be mentioned that Kossler is not the sole creator of the Colby Loves Japan campaign. She has been working with Taro Funabashi and Hillary Sapanski. “As soon as I learned what was going on, the first thing I did was text Hillary and Taro. I asked if they wanted to help get something started and they both said ‘of course.’”
            Though this is Kossler’s first fundraiser, the idea of service is not something new to her. She grew up volunteering with her mom. At Colby she is a Bio major, and looking towards medical school post-graduation. She would also like to get involved in public health. “No matter what I do, I want it to be something that allows me to interact directly with people. I recognize the importance of administrative work, and I applaud people who do it,” she joked, “but I know I could never handle it. I can’t just sit behind a desk all day.” Clearly, at Colby, she has put her energies to good use.