Special Symposium in Memory of Ms. Kazuko Toyoda at the 11th IAVE A-P Regional Volunteer Conference
The Heritage: Japanese Spirit of Volunteerism
December 8, 2007, 11:15-12:00
Coordinator: Akiko Seto, Acting President of IAVE Japan
Presenters:
- Dr. Oknah Kim Lah (Korea), Chairperson of the Kakdang Welfare Foundation, former Board Member of IAVE
- Dr. Kenn Allen, president of the Civil Society Consulting Group, former IAVE President
- Ms. Akiko Toyoda, Chairperson of ASTE, Chairperson of the Toyota International Association.
Commemorative Film
The session started with a commemorative video to the founding president of IAVE Japan, Kazuko Toyoda, who died in 2002. Her career in volunteerism started in 1967 when she became chairperson of the Toyota Women’s Volunteers. She was a board member of the Toyota Cultural Association, committee member of Nagoya Social Welfare Association. In 1987 she hosted the first IAVE Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Nagoya. She devoted her life as president of IAVE Japan, she was a board member of IAVE, president of the Toyota International Association, and chairperson of Toyota Handicapped Home. In 1994 she hosted the 13th IAVE World Volunteer Conference in Tokyo.
The video showed a speech by Mrs. Toyoda recalling how farmers helped her grow food when she was very poor, so she wanted to do something to help them in return. That desire motivated her lifelong contribution to volunteering.
Dr. Oknah Kim Lah (Korea), chairperson of the Kakdang Welfare Foundation, former board member of IAVE
I’m glad for the day that I can deepen the exchange with her. It was just 20 years ago when I first met Mrs. Toyoda at the IAVE Asia Pacific Regional Conference. She hosted a party, which we later found was funded by the prize money she won from an award. Everyone knows about the Toyota Motor Company (TMC) but not many people know about the love behind it. I become more intimate with Mrs. Toyoda at the World Volunteer Conference in 1987. She welcomed foreign guests with an open heart. Whenever I see the sovereigns Mrs. Toyoda gave me I miss her very much. Instead of just devoting her money, she used her own hands and feet to volunteer. There are many people in Japan who have been inspired by her example.
Dr. Kenn Allen, president of the Civil Society Consulting Group, former IAVE President
We are honoring a really great woman and volunteer leader. We keep people alive not just by remembering them in our hearts, but by sharing our stories about them with other people. I first met Mrs. Toyoda around 1980. She wanted to know everything about volunteering in the US. A few years later in the Australia World Conference in 1986 we met again. In September 1988, the 10th IAVE World Volunteer Conference was held in Washington DC. Mrs. Toyoda spoke about volunteering in Japan. That day she told a story about monks who started the custom of sharing tea, and how the 700 year old tradition stayed alive in the hearts of Japanese people despite changes in the society. When Mrs. Toyoda took part in IAVE conferences, she said she felt like she was sharing a cup of tea. She understood the concept of volunteering, she was not shy about asking people to help her, and she was always fun to work with.
Ms. Akiko Toyoda, Chairperson of ASTE, Chairperson of the Toyota International Association
In memory of my mother-in-law, I’d like to discuss the Japanese spirit of volunteering. ASTE (which means ‘house of comfort’) is now 41 years old. The spirit going through its history is ‘thinking of others’ and ‘spontaneous volunteering’. That kind of passion will motivate you and make you feel you are in a position to help others - which will help drive society forward. To make use of the talents each one of us has, we have to volunteer. But the power of each one of us is still very small, so when you work together with others you become more powerful. Individual volunteers may feel powerless, so IAVE helps empower them by showing them how they are part of a bigger movement. That was the reason my mother-in-law worked so hard for IAVE.