Friendship and Service in Tokyo: Cornerstone and Church Members Build Hope Together

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When Elder David A. Bednar and his wife Susan visited Japan in August 2026, they participated in a humanitarian service project organized by Cornerstone and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Volunteers assembled 30 food kits for young adults who had graduated from children's homes and were beginning life on their own.

The project was the result of years of friendship and cooperation among Cornerstone, Church members, and community partners.

Founded by Naho Hozumi, Cornerstone serves children living in children's homes, families in single-parent residential facilities, refugees, and others facing difficult circumstances. Cornerstone emphasizes “mutual respect, shared ideas, and collaborative actions” rather than a one-sided relationship between those who give and those who receive.

"There are no sides," Hozumi said. "When I can help somebody, I help. But maybe tomorrow I will need help from someone else. It's equal."

Building Hope Together

Before founding Cornerstone, Hozumi spent years involved in humanitarian service. Following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan, she organized volunteer trips to affected communities and began working closely with children's homes.

Tokyo has approximately 50 to 60 children's homes, each caring for about 50 children who cannot safely remain with their families.

As Hozumi worked with these youth, she recognized that they wanted opportunities to contribute, not just receive help. She organized trips where junior high school students from children's homes traveled to Tohoku to assist with disaster recovery efforts.

"People kept saying, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you' to the kids," Hozumi recalled. "They were so proud. It helped build their self-esteem because they realized there was something they could do for others."

Building Relationships First

Over the years, Hozumi has built relationships of trust with directors of children's homes. She meets with directors, listens to their concerns, and asks, "How can we work with you?"

Building similar relationships with single-parent facilities has required even greater patience because many do not publicly disclose their locations for safety reasons. These facilities provide temporary housing and support for mothers and children working toward independent living and typically serve about 20 families at a time.

Today, Cornerstone works with approximately 10 children's homes and six to seven single-parent facilities throughout the Tokyo area.

A Friendship Begins with Books

The partnership between Cornerstone and local Church members began with a library project.

About seven years ago, Hozumi launched a project to create libraries in children’s homes. When April Cook, a member of the Church living in Tokyo, learned about the project through a neighbor, she helped mobilize volunteers, Church facilities, and community support. Schools, international residents, Church members, and other supporters donated books and furnishings, helping establish libraries in four children's homes and one single-parent facility.

"That was the first big project," Cook said. "People were so excited when they learned what the project was about."

Small Items, Big Impact

As their friendship and partnership grew, Cook and Hozumi were introduced to a young missionary in the Tokyo South Mission who had grown up in a children's home after losing his mother.

"We started designing projects around what he said the children needed," Cook said. "It was so helpful because he had actually lived that experience."

One of Cornerstone's most meaningful ongoing efforts is preparing graduation kits for young adults leaving children's homes. When residents turn 18, they must leave the home and begin living independently. The kits, containing household essentials and food, always include handwritten notes telling recipients that they are seen, valued, and loved.

Cook recalled, with emotion, a delivery when graduates received items such as dishes, bathmats, and household supplies with visible gratitude.   

“Every little thing was a big deal,” she said. "They kept saying, 'Sugoi, sugoi.'"

A Partnership Built Through Trust

Over time, the friendship between Cook and Hozumi grew into a broader network of community partnerships.

As Cornerstone's reputation spread through personal relationships and word-of-mouth referrals, schools, churches, companies, foundations, sports organizations, and individual donors began contributing books, food, clothing, household supplies, sports equipment, funding, and volunteer support. Each partnership helped connect available resources with specific needs identified through Cornerstone's relationships with children's homes, single-parent facilities, and other organizations.

Church members first became involved through the library project, and the partnership has continued to grow. Today, Cornerstone and Church members work together on five to ten major service projects each year – representing many of Cornerstone's largest ongoing initiatives.

Looking back on years of collaboration, Hozumi described the partnership simply:

"It's a perfect match."

Cornerstone brings trusted relationships and an understanding of community needs. The Church contributes volunteers, facilities, and resources. Together, they create opportunities for service that neither could accomplish alone.

Everyone Has Something to Give

One principle appears throughout Cornerstone's work: people are not defined by the assistance they receive.

That philosophy first emerged when Hozumi invited junior high school students from children's homes to help disaster victims in Tohoku. The same approach continues to shape Cornerstone's work today. In one recent project, refugees joined Church volunteers in assembling kits for other refugee families and for children's homes.

"It gives people a sense of purpose when they know they can do something for someone else," Cook said. "The refugees that participated loved it."

Hozumi agrees.

"It's all about bringing people together and helping each other."

That same spirit of shared service was evident during the August 2026 project in which Elder and Sister Bednar helped prepare food kits for young adults who had recently graduated from children's homes. The project was the result of years of listening, trust-building, friendship, and collaboration. Those relationships made the effort possible, and they will continue to bless children, families, refugees, and communities across the Tokyo area.

See the August 30, 2026 post about the project on Elder Bednar’s Facebook page.