With candles in hand, 250 people gathered at the Reitz Union Amphitheater Thursday night to remember the lives affected by the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami in Japan last week
Megan Vu, president of the Asian American Student Union, said it’s important to not just feel connected to the victims but also to each other in a spirit of unity in caring for Japan.
“I think everybody in The Gator Nation can see the potential that we have to make a huge impact,” she said.
Hope for Japan, a new UF organization, hosted the vigil and is meant to help provide disaster relief to Japan.
Anthony Ray-Reynolds, Student Body vice president-elect and an executive board member for Hope for Japan, said that after Spring Break there were many student organizations that wanted to make a difference.
“The biggest thing that stands out to me is how quickly we got the ball rolling,” he said. “A lot of times in the wake of a disaster there is a long process before things start up.”
Taketo Nakao, a graduate assistant for UF Multicultural Diversity and Affairs, said UF students need to work together to support Japan.
He said the group is making paper cranes and collecting donations to send to Japan.
The group hopes to raise $5,000 within the next two weeks.
“You can care in so many different ways,” Nakao said.
