Tyler Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Tyler Foundation is a charitable organization located in Tokyo
, Japan
that offers Psychosocial
support to families and children with cancer
. The organization has become internationally known since 2006 and has received support from international celebrities including Scott MacIntyre
at the 2010 Billboard Live concert in Tokyo
. In 2011, since the earthquake and tsunami which devastated north-eastern Japan on March 11, 2011, the Tyler Foundation also utilized its expertise to help treat children in these areas recover psychologically. Inspired by these events the organization collaborated with world famous musicians, song writers, and producers to release the 'Shine On! Songs Volume One
' album. The collaboration included original works by Maxi Priest
, Donna Burke
, Julian Lennon
, Mark Ballas
, Alan Menken
and Academy Award winning lyricist Tim Rice
.
. They were founded in 2006 by the chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan's Business Expansion Committee, Mark Ferris, and Kimberly Forsythe-Ferris. The organization was dedicated in memory of their son, Tyler, who had been diagnosed with infant Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
before he was one month old.
Born in 2003, Tyler passed away after almost two years of treatment at the National Center for Child Health and Development in Setagaya, Tokyo
in June 2005. The high standard of medical care they experienced contrasted with the lack of Psychosocial
support offered to families and children with cancer
in Japan, and this precipitated the founding of the Tyler Foundation.
The organization's mission is to improve quality of life during treatment and ensure a smooth and successful transition to normal life after treatment. The foundation's aim is to fundamentally changing the way patients’ care is administered throughout Japan in the pediatric Oncology
wards. They concentrate on patient and parent support such as an on-staff psychologist, support groups and childcare for siblings. The group has helped children come to terms with their illnesses with programs that have children diagnosed with cancer being given a length of string with beads that spell out their name (also known as the beads of courage). The program was introduced to Japan by the Tyler Foundation in 2010 and is thought to decrease illness-related distress; increase the use of positive coping strategies; enable children to find meaning in illness, and restore a sense of self in children coping with serious illness. The foundation also introduced one of Japan's first full-time [Therapy dog] in January 2010 at Shizuoka Children’s Hospital following 18 months of training in the US. The dog goes bedside to give children courage and accompanies them during medical procedures.
Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
, the Tyler Foundation decided to offer its expertise to those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. The foundation's Shine On! "Smile Ambassador", Guy Totaro, travels to schools in the affected areas getting the kids to smile as a way of relieving stress.
was released in on Sept 30th of that year and featured songs by artists such as Maxi Priest
, Donna Burke
, Julian Lennon
, Mark Ballas
, Rie Fu
, Monday Michiru
and many more. Lyrics where also donated by Alan Menken
and Academy Award winning lyricist Tim Rice
.
, Sony
, DHL Japan and Emirates. In addition, Servcorp
has also donated around 12.8 million Yen to the Tyler Foundation to support their children's program in Tohoku.
Well known Supporters
Celebrities such as former professional athletes have supported the organization in various fundraising events. Tim Rice
has also served as one of the judges for the 2007 Tokyo Shine On Idol alone side Kamasami Kong, and Brenda Vaughn.
The list of international supporters include:
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
that offers Psychosocial
Psychosocial
For a concept to be psychosocial means it relates to one's psychological development in, and interaction with, a social environment. The individual needs not be fully aware of this relationship with his or her environment. It was first commonly used by psychologist Erik Erikson in his stages of...
support to families and children with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. The organization has become internationally known since 2006 and has received support from international celebrities including Scott MacIntyre
Scott MacIntyre
Scott Douglas MacIntyre is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist, and the eighth place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol...
at the 2010 Billboard Live concert in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. In 2011, since the earthquake and tsunami which devastated north-eastern Japan on March 11, 2011, the Tyler Foundation also utilized its expertise to help treat children in these areas recover psychologically. Inspired by these events the organization collaborated with world famous musicians, song writers, and producers to release the 'Shine On! Songs Volume One
Shine On! Songs Volume One
Shine On! Songs Volume One is a charitable album released on September 30th, 2011 by the Shine On! Songs record label. The album's proceeds will go towards the foundation's programs to give Psychosocial support to children with cancer in Japan and their families, and an additional program to help...
' album. The collaboration included original works by Maxi Priest
Maxi Priest
Max Alfred "Maxi" Priest is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with a R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion, and became one of the first international successes who regularly dabbled in the genre as well as being one of the most...
, Donna Burke
Donna Burke
Donna Burke, a singer, narrator, and entrepreneur, was born in Perth, Australia, and moved to Tokyo, Japan in 1996. She lives with her guitarist and husband Bill Benfield and her three cats....
, Julian Lennon
Julian Lennon
John Charles Julian Lennon is an English musician, songwriter, actor, and photographer. He is the son of John Lennon and Lennon's first wife, Cynthia Powell. Beatles manager Brian Epstein was his godfather. He has a younger half-brother, Sean Lennon. Lennon was named after his paternal...
, Mark Ballas
Mark Ballas
Mark Alexander Ballas Jr. is an American dancer.Ballas is a professional ballroom dancer on the ABC program Dancing with the Stars. He began competing on the show in the fall of 2007. He was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Choreography in 2011...
, Alan Menken
Alan Menken
Alan Menken is an American musical theatre and film composer and pianist.Menken is best known for his numerous scores for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas have each won him two Academy Awards...
and Academy Award winning lyricist Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
.
History
The Tyler Foundation is registered in Japan as a non-profit organization. The office is located in Minamiazabu, Minato, TokyoMinamiazabu, Minato, Tokyo
is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Literally meaning "Southern Azabu", Minami-Azabu was named so because it was situated in the southern portion of the former Azabu Ward.The area's postal code is 106-0047-References:...
. They were founded in 2006 by the chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan's Business Expansion Committee, Mark Ferris, and Kimberly Forsythe-Ferris. The organization was dedicated in memory of their son, Tyler, who had been diagnosed with infant Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a form of leukemia, or cancer of the white blood cells characterized by excess lymphoblasts.Malignant, immature white blood cells continuously multiply and are overproduced in the bone marrow. ALL causes damage and death by crowding out normal cells in the bone...
before he was one month old.
Born in 2003, Tyler passed away after almost two years of treatment at the National Center for Child Health and Development in Setagaya, Tokyo
Setagaya, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood within the ward. The ward calls itself the City of Setagaya in English...
in June 2005. The high standard of medical care they experienced contrasted with the lack of Psychosocial
Psychosocial
For a concept to be psychosocial means it relates to one's psychological development in, and interaction with, a social environment. The individual needs not be fully aware of this relationship with his or her environment. It was first commonly used by psychologist Erik Erikson in his stages of...
support offered to families and children with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in Japan, and this precipitated the founding of the Tyler Foundation.
The organization's mission is to improve quality of life during treatment and ensure a smooth and successful transition to normal life after treatment. The foundation's aim is to fundamentally changing the way patients’ care is administered throughout Japan in the pediatric Oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
wards. They concentrate on patient and parent support such as an on-staff psychologist, support groups and childcare for siblings. The group has helped children come to terms with their illnesses with programs that have children diagnosed with cancer being given a length of string with beads that spell out their name (also known as the beads of courage). The program was introduced to Japan by the Tyler Foundation in 2010 and is thought to decrease illness-related distress; increase the use of positive coping strategies; enable children to find meaning in illness, and restore a sense of self in children coping with serious illness. The foundation also introduced one of Japan's first full-time [Therapy dog] in January 2010 at Shizuoka Children’s Hospital following 18 months of training in the US. The dog goes bedside to give children courage and accompanies them during medical procedures.
Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
, the Tyler Foundation decided to offer its expertise to those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. The foundation's Shine On! "Smile Ambassador", Guy Totaro, travels to schools in the affected areas getting the kids to smile as a way of relieving stress.
Programs
The foundation has the following programs in 19 Japanese hospitals:- Shine On! Beads of Courage — decreases illness-related distress; increases the use of positive coping strategies; enables children to find meaning in illness; and restores a sense of self in children coping with serious illness. Every time the child undergoes a procedure such as an operation, InjectionInjectionInjection or Injected may refer to:* Injection , insertion of liquid into the body with a syringe* Injective function in mathematics, a function mapping distinct arguments to distinct values...
, X-rayX-rayX-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
, or chemotherapyChemotherapyChemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
, they receive a glass bead to add to their chain. - Shine On! Counseling and Support — maximises quality of life for pediatric oncology patients and their families throughout the cancer treatment process.
- Shine On! House — provides a complete support facility for families of children with cancer.
- Shine On! Therapy Dog — improves treatment outcome and children’s approach to cancer treatment/therapy through Japan’s first, full time Animal Assisted Therapy programme at a children’s hospital.
Shine On! Songs
In 2011, the foundation created a record label and inspired world famous musicians, producers, and song writers to produce a music album in order to raise funds for the foundation's programs. Shine On! Songs Volume OneShine On! Songs Volume One
Shine On! Songs Volume One is a charitable album released on September 30th, 2011 by the Shine On! Songs record label. The album's proceeds will go towards the foundation's programs to give Psychosocial support to children with cancer in Japan and their families, and an additional program to help...
was released in on Sept 30th of that year and featured songs by artists such as Maxi Priest
Maxi Priest
Max Alfred "Maxi" Priest is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with a R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion, and became one of the first international successes who regularly dabbled in the genre as well as being one of the most...
, Donna Burke
Donna Burke
Donna Burke, a singer, narrator, and entrepreneur, was born in Perth, Australia, and moved to Tokyo, Japan in 1996. She lives with her guitarist and husband Bill Benfield and her three cats....
, Julian Lennon
Julian Lennon
John Charles Julian Lennon is an English musician, songwriter, actor, and photographer. He is the son of John Lennon and Lennon's first wife, Cynthia Powell. Beatles manager Brian Epstein was his godfather. He has a younger half-brother, Sean Lennon. Lennon was named after his paternal...
, Mark Ballas
Mark Ballas
Mark Alexander Ballas Jr. is an American dancer.Ballas is a professional ballroom dancer on the ABC program Dancing with the Stars. He began competing on the show in the fall of 2007. He was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Choreography in 2011...
, Rie Fu
Rie fu
, born on January 11, 1985, in Tokyo, is a Japanese singer-songwriter. She resides in Tokyo but frequently travels to the United Kingdom to record and promote her work.-Personal life:...
, Monday Michiru
Monday Michiru
Monday Michiru Sipiagin is a Japanese American actress, singer, and songwriter whose music encompasses and fuses a wide variety of genres including jazz, dance, pop, and soul...
and many more. Lyrics where also donated by Alan Menken
Alan Menken
Alan Menken is an American musical theatre and film composer and pianist.Menken is best known for his numerous scores for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas have each won him two Academy Awards...
and Academy Award winning lyricist Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
.
Supporters and Events
The Tyler Foundation has over the years hosted a number of fund-raising events. Both corporate and individual sponsors play a role in supporting these fundraising events. The list of which includes British AirwaysBritish Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, DHL Japan and Emirates. In addition, Servcorp
Servcorp
Servcorp Limited is a Public Company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange who provide serviced office and virtual office products to markets in Australia, New Zealand, China, South East Asia, Japan, Europe, The United States and the Middle East....
has also donated around 12.8 million Yen to the Tyler Foundation to support their children's program in Tohoku.
Well known Supporters
Celebrities such as former professional athletes have supported the organization in various fundraising events. Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
has also served as one of the judges for the 2007 Tokyo Shine On Idol alone side Kamasami Kong, and Brenda Vaughn.
The list of international supporters include:
- Paul Wallace (ex-British and Irish Lions prop)
- Stephen LarkhamStephen LarkhamStephen Larkham is an Australian rugby union footballer currently playing for the Ricoh Black Rams in Japan. He is best known for his career with the Brumbies in Super Rugby, for whom he played from the inception of the professional Super 12 in 1996 through 2007, and his long tenure with the...
(World Cup winner) - Eddie Jones (World Cup winner)
- Stu WilsonStu WilsonStu Wilson is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He played for Wellington and New Zealand, captaining national team in the 1983 tour of England and Scotland....
(All Blacks)