Japan Relief Effort

My Guardian Angel (c) 2011, Kristen Stein StudioArtworks.com

My thoughts and prayers go out to all affected by the recent devastation in Japan.

I am completely awestruck by the intense power of nature and the devastation of the earthquake and tsunamis in Japan.  My thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected by these tragic events.  I was hoping to hear from one my dear friends today and fortunately, she is currently in the US and not in Tokyo as I first thought. But, her hometown is the Wakabayashi-Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture which was the epicenter of the earthquake.

Her parents still live there and she is trying to reach them.  Please join me in offering her and her family your heartfelt prayers as she and others wait to hear from, or about, their loved ones. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to not be able to account for your family, friends and loved ones.
[Update : 3/14/11 11:00pm EST - My friend just got a text message from her dad reporting that they are OK. Amazingly, their home in Sendai City was just 2km from coast. So very grateful to all who expressed concern and kept them in your prayers.]

In honor of all the wonderful people of Japan, including my friend and her family, I want to help participate in the relief effort.  I will be donating 25% of all sales now through March 31st to organizations helping in Japan's rescue, care, and cleanup efforts.  Purchases from http://shop.studioartworks.com and http://kristensteinfineart.etsy.com and prints from http://kristensteinfineart.imagekind.com will all qualify.

[UPDATE :: 3/14/11 I was just talking to my husband about my fundraising efforts for Japan.  He's going to match whatever donations I raise (up to $2000.00). So, if you've been interested in one of my pieces for awhile, now's the time to purchase and for a worthy cause.   Thanks to all who have supported this so far.]

If you have a specific organization to which you would like your portion donated, feel free to included this in your checkout memo. Otherwise, I will use the American Red Cross, Global Giving, or other similar agency that has a fund earmarked for Japan Relief Efforts.