The recent tsunami and earthquakes in Japan have affected an estimated 100,000 children in Japan.
This weekend in San Ramon, 1,200 families and their children will team up to put on what may be the largest rummage sale in the city’s history to raise money to help those kids.
Every penny raised will go to the Save the Children's Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund.
There will be children’s activities and refreshments at the sale, at , 4000 Goldenbay Ave., in San Ramon.
“We wanted to accomplish a couple things,” said Quail Run PTA President and 12-year San Ramon resident Jonathan Lui-Kwan, who spearheaded the garage sale. “First, we thought, how could we help the children in Japan with the recent disasters?”
Second, he said, he wanted to bring the community together in a way that’s never been done before.
“A lot of times schools may be in close proximity to each other, but they don’t talk to each other,” said Lui-Kwan, who has two children, one in Quail Run and the other enrolled at . “So we contacted the PTAs and principals at nearby schools to see if they would help.”
People loved the idea, he said. So he enlisted help from Quail Run, Gale Ranch, and .
Tonight, about 80 teachers, parents and other volunteers plan to spend hours after work sorting through thousands of donated items in Quail Run’s multipurpose room to prepare for the event. Each item is carefully pre-screened and will be deeply discounted.
“We want to sell things pretty cheap,” said Lui-Kwan, who’s lived in San Ramon for 12 years and works as CEO of San Mateo-based digital communications company Bold Focus. “There are going to be some great deals.”
The goal is to raise at least $7,000, he said.
For more information, check out the website set up for the event at www.quailrunregistration.com/garagesale or email quailrunsanramon@gmail.com.
