We offer support for senior foreign residents

The seed for this organization began to sprout when several Japanese women wanted to help a senior foreign resident who was having trouble communicating in Japanese when visiting the hospital for a serious health condition, which required difficult decisions to be made. These women realized that a lot of foreigners who had been living in the area for a long time could not understand well enough many of the details concerning taxes, pensions, health care, housing, etc.

Of course there are people of many different nationalities interested in learning about these topics, so it was decided to use English as the common language for communication. However, we typically book !!bilingual presenters!! or monolingual speakers with translators on hand to explain difficult concepts and facilitate questions and answers in both languages. It is important to ensure that someone proficient in both English and Japanese is present at all events, because many Japanese members are also interested in learning more about the details of each topic. Additionally, we request that presenters provide bilingual materials (e.g. slides and handouts).

After four years of operation, HMSC established a multinational Executive Committee of volunteers working together to organize approximately bimonthly events. These presentations and social events have succeeded in helping all of us learn a lot about the society in which we live and to understand each other much better than we had ever imagined. We advocate for those who need our help. We have discovered that even a little help can go a long way to improving the lives of many.

That is why we are especially happy to find new volunteers who share our commitment to helping others in the world. A helping hand is always greatly appreciated!

If you feel you can help, then please do not hesitate to contact us

We are always looking for those who would like to share their expertise and experiences with our group members as speakers or serving on the Executive Committee or in an Ad hoc capacity. For seniors, the learning process will never stop. For those of you who feel you do not have enough time to help, we hope you will consider donating funds to help us cover the expenses associated with putting on meetings, presentations and other events. All donations are used to cover real operating expenses and no member receives any money for their volunteer time and service. Please visit the Donations page for more details.

We are most grateful for the support provided by Neighbors during the first four years of operation, and that of the Sapporo International Communication Plaza, which has worked closely with our group to facilitate presentations and surveys. We are expanding our goals for 2024 and beyond, and we look forward to reaching out to all Japanese and foreign residents in Hokkaido who wish to support the multinational community in their local areas.

• The HMSC Executive Committee Members - 2025

• Cynthia Edwards(Cindy)/Stuart Walker, Co-Chairs

• TJ Riggins, Co-Chair Assistant

• Becky Tuttle, Recording Secretary

• Keiko Takeda, Treasurer

• Jess King, Membership Coordinator

• Elena Oshima, Member-At-Large

• Mikael Nicander Kuwahara (Micke), Webmaster

• Sally Kobayashi, Publicity/Public Relations

• Cynthia Edwards (Cindy), Zoom Admin

• Bob Gettings, Non-voting member/Member-At-Large

• Michi Goto, Non-voting member/Consultant

• Margaret (Peggy) Shibuya, Non-voting member/Consultant