One of the Johnny Depp Zone’s most cherished traditions is our annual birthday gift for Johnny, called the Birthday Project.
Each year we choose a charity which is connected to Johnny’s philanthropic interests. We pool our modest contributions and make a Zone donation to a worthy cause in his honor, as a way of celebrating and thanking Johnny for all the joy he has given us over the year.
This year, the people of Japan desperately need our help, due to the devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011 which left more than 13,000 people dead and another 14,000 people missing. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 200,000 people are still taking refuge in evacuation centers. About 260,000 people do not have access to water and 180,000 households are without electricity.
So the 2011 Johnny Depp Zone Birthday Project will benefit. . .
Mercy Corps’ Fund to Help Survivors of Japan’s Earthquake
How incredible it is to remember that just a week before the earthquake, Johnny was in Tokyo for the premiere of The Tourist; many of our Japanese Zoners were among the jubilant crowds who greeted him so warmly. Then tragedy struck—the strongest earthquake to hit Japan in a hundred years. We are heartbroken for our Japanese friends and want to help them recover and rebuild.
In a public service announcement for Unite for Japan, Johnny Depp said, “A catastrophe of this magnitude almost seems like science fiction—but it’s not. It’s real. It’s very real.” Johnny then urged all of us to make a donation and "spread the word, to unite for Japan.” You can hear his remarks here:
We can think of no birthday gift more fitting than to answer Johnny’s plea and give what we can to help those in Japan who have lost so much. Unite for Japan is not a charity in itself; it appeals for donations to existing charities. The Zone chose Mercy Corps from among the charity partners listed under Global Giving because Mercy Corps is highly-rated by Charity Navigator; it has a long-time relationship with Peace Winds and people on the ground in Japan; and its programs address basic needs like shelter, water, and medical care.
You can read more about their work here:
Mercy Corps is a 501(c)3 charity; your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by U.S. law.
As in past years, the Zone has set up a Paypal account strictly for 2011 Birthday Project contributions to benefit Mercy Corps’ Fund to Help Survivors of Japan’s Earthquake. This is a particularly easy way for international donors to contribute to the Birthday Project, since Paypal will convert your local currency to dollars. We have also set up a special fundraising page on the Mercy Corps website, if you wish to donate by credit card.
We will be accepting donations through Johnny’s birthday, June 9, 2011.
Your donation can bring comfort and support when it is needed most. When we pool our small gifts together, we can do a lot of good for others.
Please join us in wishing Johnny Depp a very Happy Birthday, and in saying
for all the joy he has given us, by donating to the 2011 Birthday Project.
Part-Time Poet
and Theresa 
I was looking for some nuts. 
