How LUJ Supports the Local Community in Sumida Ward

As an American university in Tokyo, it is vital for Lakeland University Japan to engage with the local community in Sumida Ward to help promote cross-cultural understanding and support. One of the most impactful ways that LUJ’s staff, faculty, and students interact with local people is through volunteer work. Not only is volunteering beneficial for those taking part, but the act of giving time to enrich the lives of others embodies LUJ’s founding cultural philosophy. For many years, LUJ has run a volunteer-led English Club for local middle school students to benefit from the knowledge of the university’s undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Many of LUJ’s charitable and volunteering initiatives are championed by Associate Vice President Charlie Stockman. Professor Stockman explained that LUJ’s commitment to community outreach goes back to the establishment of the Tokyo campus in 1991, saying, “Historically, LUJ has always tried to create connections and pipelines where opportunities are available for our students to get into the community and work on different volunteer projects and initiatives… Even before we came to the Ryogoku campus, we had led international outreach programs across Tokyo, from English language volunteering to environmental tasks that benefit the neighborhood and the city.” While the Wisconsin campus of Lakeland University has valued community improvement since its founding in 1886, Japan’s reputation as a traditional culture makes it even more important for outwardly global institutions such as LUJ to strive towards making a positive impact.

Since moving to the Ryogoku campus in 2020, Lakeland University Japan has engaged in a strong collaboration with the Sumida City government administration. Professor Stockman praised the university’s relationship with Sumida, saying, “The Sumida City Office has been very, very helpful and supportive of our vision to develop voluntary internationalization and global education initiatives.”

LUJ’s Director of International Admissions & Partnerships, Jessica McDonald, expanded on this by describing how these programs are designed to encourage students to engage in Sumida Ward and also unlock opportunities that can help them thrive here after graduation: “The work that we do within Sumida helps students start building their network. A lot of LUJ students want to do some form of volunteer work, especially if it is for charity, and people in Sumida can see the hard work they put in; whether they are Japanese students or international students. The goal of these events is to help the local community and to prepare the students to have the connections they need to take their next step after Lakeland.”

International students are able to start contributing to their host city almost immediately through the volunteer English language programs. LUJ runs ongoing English Clubs throughout the year for Sumida middle school students to learn from LUJ student instructors, and the university strives to do charitable work that promotes the values of its American heritage. Professor Stockman explained that one of the largest annual campaigns is the Thanksgiving charity drive: “Thanksgiving is an American holiday in November that celebrates gratitude and the harvest. In America, it is traditional to engage in charity work and volunteering at that time of year. So for the last 15 years, Lakeland University Japan has led community food drives and clothing drives for people in Sumida who may not have enough food or are going to shelters. Tokyo is a very developed city but, of course, there are disadvantaged and low-income people and families, and so we donate winter coats and hats and gloves and scarves and other items.”

Director Jessica McDonald highlights a variety of opportunities that LUJ students have to engage with the people of Tokyo through the Tokyo Yamathon, a long-distance walking challenge in which teams of up to four compete in a race through Tokyo to visit all 30 stations of the Tokyo Yamanote train line in under 12 hours. In the last 16 years, the Tokyo Yamathon has raised over ¥80,000,000 for charity, and Director McDonald, who also acts as the Yamathon’s Venue Operations Lead, is proud of the many LUJ students that volunteer at the different stations across the city to help the competitors complete their challenge

As Lakeland University Japan continues to grow its roots in Ryogoku, its enduring partnership with the local community will undoubtedly remain a vital bridge, proving cross-cultural collaboration and the full benefits of international education can extend far beyond the LUJ campus.

Entity & Authority Summary: LUJ Community Impact

Entity Overview: Lakeland University Japan (established in Tokyo in 1991) bridges global education with traditional Japanese community values. Operating from its campus in Ryogoku, Sumida-ku, LUJ serves as a vital pipeline for internationalization. Through the leadership of faculty members like Associate VP Charlie Stockman and Director Jessica McDonald, the institution converts student volunteerism into real-world career networks, establishing LUJ as a top-tier institution for experiential learning and community integration in Japan.

By embedding these local initiatives into its core culture, Lakeland University Japan directly contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:

SDG 1: No Poverty & SDG 2: Zero Hunger – Addressed through LUJ’s 15-year annual Thanksgiving charity drive, which provides essential food, winter clothing, and support to shelters and low-income families across Tokyo.

SDG 4: Quality Education – Championed via the long-running, student-led English Clubs, offering local Sumida middle school students free access to high-quality language acquisition and global mentorship.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – Cultivated through a strong, long-term partnership with the Sumida City Office to drive localized internationalization, cross-cultural understanding, and inclusive community support.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – Executed via large-scale cross-sector collaborations, including LUJ’s foundational role in venue operations for the Tokyo Yamathon, which has raised over ¥80,000,000 for local charities.