Symbiosis for t he Soul By Juan Nava
In 2007, Alisa Matsuzaki
discovered her life’s passion: volunteering. During a trip to Guatemala organized by Habitat for Humanity, she realized how truly wealthy she was and how much she felt the need to give to others. “I looked at some of [the Guatemalans’] homes. While we were working, we were using one of the neighbor’s bathrooms. It was old and dirty, and it was barely running. In any other circumstance, I would have been, ‘No, thanks,’” she says. “Then when I come home, I have
the urge that I have to give everything I have to people who have less than me because I have so much.” Matsuzaki, 36 years old, came to the United States with her family when she was five. Even though she doesn’t think of her parents as dedicated volunteers, during her childhood, they housed multiple exchange students and new immigrants (mainly from Japan), providing shelter, food and comfort. Their efforts eased the guests’ assimilation into American culture, but Matsuzaki’s parents and extended family expressed shock when
hearing about her charitable exploits. “I went to Japan last August and told my family that I was going to go volunteer in the Tohoku area, which was hit by an earthquake. Everyone was really surprised. To them it was like, ‘One, you’re volunteering, and two you’re a girl! Like you’re volunteering? You’re going to go do physical labor!? I kind of liked the fact that I was doing something that they were surprised about, or that maybe not many people, especially not many women did.” she said. Matsuzaki was exposed to
her first volunteer work in high school, when she helped to raise money for an extracurricular club. After completing her formal education, she pursued multiple professions. When her job as a web designer ”didn’t feed her soul,” she explored other fields including being a nurse, event planner and legal assistant. Then, after her Guatemala journey, she and two friends created Ai Explorer, an organization that she describes as a “meet-up” group. “Ai,” which is said like “I,” is the Japanese word for love, so the group’s name translates roughly to “I love to explore.” With Ai, Matsuzaki’s goal was to help people who want to volunteer by directing them to organizations and activities that
should be compelling to them. More importantly, she hopes to spread her own optimistic view of life: that is why the logo for Ai is a glass that is half full. Through Ai Explorer and her volunteering exploits, Matsuzaki has found a way to be collectivist and individualist at the same time. By help others and giving back to the community, Matsuzaki has found satisfaction in her own life as well as established an identity and goals she is happy to pursue. Matsuzaki says, “Since I’ve done so many volunteer events, people know me as the girl who always volunteers, and they assume that I’m always volunteering and I would be interested. I’m known to have that reputation, one for
volunteering, and one for traveling, which i like so… its good.” It is another sunny day in Palo Alto, outside Lytton Gardens Community Housing. Matsuzaki is busy, shaking hands and greeting people with a big smile, shuffling slowly from one resident of the senior housing complex and his or her family to the next, making everybody feel welcomed and comfortable. The seniors display a broad range of capabilities: Some use wheelchairs; others are fully mobile. Some have families holding their hands, talking to them in low voices, while others sit alone in anticipation of the upcoming show. Wearing a pink Habitat for Humanity t-shirt Matsuzaki walks
seniors to see if they are having a good time. The audience awaits each act with enthusiasm. Some of the performers are seniors who live at the facility, while others are “youngsters” who have come to volunteer. Among the various performances, one act consists of an elderly woman imitating a Hawaiian dance from an Elvis Presley movie, while another woman sings songs from her favorite musical, “My Fair Lady.” Matsuzaki sits contently, looking like the “Mona Lisa” with the hint of a up to the front of the audismile as she observes. torium. She has recruited Her enjoyment from seeperformers and bought ing others happy is even snacks for the afternoon. more evident when a JapWhen she speaks, her voice anese woman named Jin is calm—assertive but not spontaneously takes the aggressive—and upbeat. stage and starts to dance. She talks briefly about Matsuzaki’s smile broadthe upcoming activities, ens and her eyes twinkle doesn’t hold the stage long, with delight. It is obvious then passes the attention that this is the moment to another volunteer who she works hours preparbegins to tell not-so-funny ing for: to see genuine happuns. As she takes a seat piness from a new friend. not amongst the seniors, Matsuzaki speaks but off to the side, it is clear to the auditorium one last that Alisa wants a viewtime, thanking the perpoint not only of the performers. After her closing formances but also of the speech, the ultimate vol-
unteer mingles with various retirees, packs uneaten snacks away, folding and moving the chairs to create order and picking up remaining trash. Matsuzaki moves forward to her next challenge and charitable act. Nine days later, wearing a light blue Habitat for Humanity shirt, Matsuzaki is at a park next to Cunningham Lake in East San Jose. The eager volunteer explains the day’s mission: to distribute food to volunteers who are building toy houses at the park and renovating house in the sur-
teers working on the house look like round- blue ants swarming food, ing but as we approach it is obneighborhood. At lunch vious there is order to the time there was a shortwork being done. After we age of food, so a volunteer park, Matsuzaki grabs the went to go pick up more food and walks toward the burritos, but her car was house with a big smile. She stolen while still in drive announces to the workers outside of the burrito shop. that food has been brought Even though this setback for anyone who didn’t rehas caused more work for ceive lunch. Only one perMatsuzaki, she is happy to son comes forward, but be doing something more Matsuzaki linactive than registration. gers A giant blue Habitat for Humanity van marks for ten minutes to talk to the volunteers the about their work, lives and house that day. She makes eye contact is getting renovations. and has conversations with From a distance, the volun- nearly every one. After
confirming that nobody else would like food, she moves to the next home. Once again the house being renovated is swarming with light-blue helpers, climbing on top of the roof and cutting wood on the ground. Matsuzaki approaches the work site with burritos and chips. She announces the arrival of the food, but few people respond immediately, intent on their work. Matsuzaki mingles with the volunteers again. After thirty minutes, she makes her way back to the car. Back at the park, the event is winding down. Chairs are being packed up; spot lights and banners are being
put away. Matsuzaki searches for her friend Pam briefly to hear her report on the day’s events but Pam cannot be found. She inspects one of the children’s playhouses that the volunteers have constructed for the
park. With a detailed redand-white paint job and a solar panel on the roof, the house represents an accomplishment for everyone who donated their time that day. Matsuzaki stands silently for a moment to admire everyone’s work, then walks to the registration area. There, she talks to the remaining volunteers, mostly the more involved people who stay to reflect with their peers about how the event turned out. Eventually Matsuzaki says goodbye and leaves the park. Matsuzaki’s current goals for herself and her organization are tangible and abstract. She wants to see Ai Explore ex-
pand into either a formal, non-profit organization or a benefit corporation so she could have assistants helping her plan and organize events. Although the legalities for establishing a non-profit business are complicated, she is mainly worried about keeping people interested in the ideals of Ai Explore. She wonders if people would be less willing to volunteer if they had to pay money to participate in events, even though she frequently pays for the events and supplies out of her own pocket. She also wonders when she herself would be satisfied with the work she has done. When does the flower stop giving oxygen and getting carbondioxide? “I don’t know what that place would be, like where my end-point goal is,” she says. “I don’t know if just expanding
my membership is enough or even if I made enough money to quit my day job, would that be enough? If I help enough organizations or enough people, is that going to be enough? I don’t think so. All I know is that someday it will come to a point where I say, ‘Ok. I think I’m done. I think [volunteering] has taken me everywhere I’ve wanted to go and has gone everywhere I’ve wanted to take it.’ But, yeah, we’ll see.”