HERSTORY: HONORING AN AMAZING WOMAN

Sep 29

In the spirit of HerStory, honoring a gracious woman, the Denver Chapter of WFWP met to honor a lady who had managed the Shin-Ji Nursery in Boulder, Colorado from 1983 to 1987. The children of most of the people present had been in her charge during that time.

When she turned 70 in July of this year, Mrs. Toshiko Sato received the gift of travel from her children and immediately chose to visit Colorado from August 22-26. Mrs. Shirley Chimes, Denver Chapter Chairwoman and her husband Jim hosted Mrs. Sato in their home during that time.

On August 23, WFWP held a luncheon in her honor. A corsage was affixed to Mrs. Sato's attire shortly after she was greeted by the many people-both younger and older-who assembled to honor her and hear her speak. After a healthy, refreshing luncheon, everyone gathered around the table to appreciate photos from Mrs. BeeBe Mesch's album and to reminisce. Then we watched a DVD of a Shin-Ji Nursery sports day with tears of joy and thanks to Mrs. Sato.

She said that as she was flying over the mountains, she was filled with many memories of the past, of living in Boulder and getting to know students who studied at the University of Colorado, befriending and counseling them, cooking cheerfully, all the while managing the Shin-Ji Nursery in Boulder.

*Mrs. Shirley Chimes welcomes Mrs. Sato*

She spoke of how she had studied nursing and early childhood education in Fukushima Prefecture, the area that was hit by the 2011 tsunami. She came to America in 1973 to do service work in the United States. Then, married with two children of her own, Mrs. Sato ran the Shin-Ji Nursery in Boulder in the 1980s.

In 1993 after her husband, Kazuo Sato, passed away, she continued her service work. She became a public relations agent for the South and North American Sustainable Development for World Peace (SNA-SWP) project. The work helps mainly business activities for development assistance in Paraguay in the Chaco District by planting trees, developing fish farming, breeding cattle and pigs, and supporting young people's education by building and repairing schools. Her main concern is that she lives caring for people and their needs. At 70, she is still going strong to help make the world a better place for all people.