Date: November 13, 2025
Place: Tokyo
Participants:  About 20 campers, 1 LIT, 7 Mirai no Mori staff, 7 sponsors
Sponsor: Morgan Stanley

Throughout the year, Mirai no Mori creates opportunities for employees of our corporate partners to experience the impact they are making and meet the children we support. Marking the start of the festive season, we recently hosted a special care home visit in Tokyo with Morgan Stanley, one of our top sponsors for many years. Morgan Stanley volunteers not only enjoyed a fun program with the campers, but also saw firsthand the environment they live in.

We arrived at the care home at the end of the afternoon, as a way to support care workers who were busy preparing dinner. We rotated through three Summer Camp activities: running Tic-Tac-Toe, God’s Eye craft, and Bear Attack. We kicked off with running Tic-Tac-Toe, facilitated by a Leader In Training (high school student) who played this game many times as a camper. Participants were separated into teams- a mix of campers, Morgan Stanley volunteers, and Mirai no Mori staff. This game is all about team work and quick thinking, and the children were thrilled to teach the volunteers how it’s done.

We then moved indoors for the next activities: God’s Eye crafts and Bear Attack. God’s Eye is a traditional Mexican good-luck charm made from yarn and wooden sticks. Some children were making it for the first time, while others who had done the craft at previous Mirai no Mori programs, shared tips with volunteers making their very first one.

On the other side of the room, Bear Attack brought a different kind of excitement. This English rhythm game is a Summer Camp classic, and many repeater campers immediately jumped in with enthusiasm. Morgan Stanley volunteers were happily surprised by how comfortable the children were using English phrases throughout the game.

Although this visit was shorter than our typical programs, it was packed with energy, and the children seemed proud to welcome familiar and new adult role models into their home. A huge thank you to Morgan Stanley for being such a key partner and for sending diverse volunteers to this special visit.

“I have joined Summer Camp and many other programs before, but it was my first time making a God’s Eye. I used yarn of my favorite color and really like how mine turned out. I want to make them again and get better and better!” by camper, grade 5

“I was among the top three at Bear Attack but ended up being eliminated with a move that is always tricky for me. I want to keep practicing and improving!” by camper, grade 1

“It was heartwarming to see the smiles on campers’ faces when they saw the Mirai no Mori team arriving. They welcomed us with so much energy, ready to play!” by camp staff

“I was amazed to see how high-energy all the children were during the running game, not only playing, but also cheering their teammates on!” by sponsor volunteer