On March 11, 2011, violent earthquakes shook Japan and soon after, destructive tsunamis flooded the island nation. In the aftermath of this tragedy, more than 10,000 people are presumed dead and thousands more missing, while the threat of a major nuclear power plant meltdown still looms over the country.

As aftershocks and tsunami warnings persist, an outpouring of sympathy and support from around the world is helping Japan begin to rebuild. WJ’s Japanese community felt called to action after seeing their home country’s devastation and began a school-wide fundraising effort. Throughout March, envelopes collecting money were passed around second period classes in competition-style, with all proceeds going towards the International Red Cross.

The winning class was social studies teacher Christopher Murray’s comparative religion class, which came together to raise $1,300. All classes worked hard to collect money, but Murray’s went above and beyond in their fundraising action.

“I was motivated because I have been able to see since I started teaching at WJ how compassionate our community is, from Katrina in ’05, then the Tsunami ’06, then Haiti last year,” said Murray. “I knew we could get a good response and generate some money for the Red Cross.”

Murray devised a highly motivational pyramid system with eleven levels marking increasing amounts of money his class had to raise before reaching a set reward. These achievement benefits ranged from the small (donuts and bagels), to the relaxing (a meditation session and class outside), to the extreme (Murray painting himself blue and getting a tattoo) – but all inspired by a great cause.

“Since the idea came from the students they really went full-hearted into it,” said Murray. “It was awesome to see the support that we had for Japan in their time of need.”

To continue helping Japan in its recovery, more fundraising efforts are occurring, including the sale of t-shirts and paper cranes. All proceeds for these will also benefit the International Red Cross. For more information on how you can help, visit the International Red Cross’ website at icrc.org or the event’s Facebook page.