Just when I thought he couldn't possibly be more amazing,
Johnny has partnered with designer Tadashi Shoji
to help raise money for disaster relief in Japan.
All proceeds from the sales of the T-shirt they created
will benefit the Japanese Red Cross.
OK, I'm going to have to make this quick, because my Internet service "provider"--and by "provider" I mean in the proud tradition of Frank Gallagher from Shameless--has apparently gone on a bender tonight and keeps cutting in and out on me, so putting this together is currently like trying to blog in Morse code, all blips and blurps with empty spaces in between during which my ISP simply stares vacantly out the window and wonders if there's any whiskey left in the secret spot in the laundry room cupboard behind the extra cat-litter liners...
So let's just get right to the important stuff, which is this: PLEASE BUY A SHIRT AND HELP JAPAN! Here's the design, inspired by the beautiful Japanese flag, or "hinomaru," a word I learned from my lovely friend Akiko Nakata:
The shirt created by Johnny and Tadashi,
who was born and raised in Sendai, Japan,
one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami
earlier this month.
And here's a twitpic shared by Tadashi last night, which he captioned, "The 1st sample just arrived!":
You can order by calling 1-877-TADASHI, or through Johnny's website via PayPal. The PayPal option allows you to pay by either logging in to your PayPal account if you already have one, OR by instantly creating a new PayPal account and then paying with a credit or debit card.
The shirts come in unisex sizes XS, S, M, L, and XL, and are $25 each plus $6 shipping per order (so if you order two shirts in the same size going to the same address, it's still just $6).
I love everything about this project, including that the shirt has Tadashi's signature on it. :) But most of all, I love Johnny's big heart and his willingness to devote his time and effort to help people, whether it's through Figure Skating in Harlem, Skate for Hope, the 'nPlay Foundation, and so many others--and now, to give back to Japan, home to thousands of fans who are some of his staunchest supporters. (I still crack up over the scene in Welcome to My World where the lovely Japanese ladies have been waiting for two days at the airport for him, and he's astonished because his own mother wouldn't wait in the car for him for half an hour. And that's exactly how you get a kid who is both humble and generous. #PattiFTW. )
So please join Johnny in sending aid to Japan at a time when it seems the news has already moved on to other stories, and yet there are millions in this small, brave country who have only just begun to dig out and try to make sense of lives that have been irrevocably altered. There's no "us" and "them" here--there's only us, all of us, depending on one another to get through this life as best we can, and needing each other every step of the way.
And now we can wear awesome shirts while we're at it. ♥
Johnny's beautiful PSA for the Japan Relief project.
Please order a shirt today to help the people of Japan!
in Bensenville, IL, on April 30!
For every ticket sold, $1 will be donated to
the Japanese Red Cross.
Young skaters: Sign up here to audition!
Yes! At last: Pop Star On Ice is now available on DVD!
Order yours today from the Pop Star On Ice website!
of raising $10,000 for breast cancer research
by visiting his donor page! Any amount
you can give will help Skate for Hope
in the fight against cancer.
(Same weekend as the Annually Awesome
Columbus Gay Pride Parade--win-win!)
"Buy my single,'Dirty Love' via iTunes.
Tell all your friends to as well. The more copies sold
takes me one step closer to making a video! №1!"
THE WORLD NEEDS THIS VIDEO
IN THE SAME WAY THAT IT NEEDS AIR.
IN THE SAME WAY THAT IT NEEDS AIR.
You know what to do.
or just click the "Buy" button on the player
at the top of the blog!
Hey, Welcome to My World also is available
as an eBook! More info on Johnny's website!
6 comments:
Good job as always! I posted a blog about an hour ago on the same topic, and I was sure you would be working on one also. I wish I could do more, you know? You're right about the news moving on, but I suppose in such a fast paced world that's understandable. There are so many crises, so many other disasters, so many things to worry about I guess! To quote from the novel 'Exodus' by Leon Uris:
Kitty-"People are fickle."
Mark-"Not really. The world just has a habit of moving on."
But I also think Japan, in a way, suffers from 'the Americans' syndrome (years ago Canadian Gordon Sinclair spoke about this on the radio in The Americans). What I mean is the fact the Japanese are efficient, calm, educated, thoughtful, solid economically and so on works against them. Like often happens with the United States I think a lot of people think Oh well, let them handle it themselves.
RE my comment, I do think it's unfortunate, but Japan is probably a victim of two things, the world moving on and some people simply believing they don't need any help. But like I said, I wish I could do more!
Mama,
This is so beautiful, hopeful and solemn. I donated and shared the link and, as always, am swollen with pride for our incredible young man.
He never fails to be unshakably magnetic in both his goodness and his realization of his own potential.
Love love love love to you, him and our precious Japan,
xoxoxo
Nico
I WILL be making a donation to help Japan.
Unfortunately, I will NOT be purchasing a T-Shirt. Johnny & Co. still need to realize that some of his fans simply don't fit into the XS-XL world of fashion. :(
It it all too true about the World moving on. We've all but forgotten about New Orleans & hurricane Katrina. Haiti never makes the news anymore. Even Japan news is being replaced already by news of Libya. It breaks my heart, wanting to be able to do even more yet being unable to do so.
I so appreciate Tadashi Shoji and Johnny doing what they can for Japan, and for keeping hope & love alive for such a cherished country and people.
Thank you, Johnny and Tadashi Shoji, for your concerted efforts on behalf of the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear victims. Thank you, Misfit Mimes, for your tireless blog efforts.
Johnny-san, Tadashi-san, Binky-san, mina-san, honto ni arigato gozaimasu!! Ganbarimasu[We'll fight on]!!
Binky, tears are flowing again...
Post a Comment