ACK Programs Supporting KEEP

The ACK is proud to partner with KEEP offering several programs for international exchange and community development. To learn about each program, please follow the links listed below.

Sister Region Exchange Program

The ACK facilitates a Sister Region Program between Hokuto City in the Yatsugatake area and Madison County, Kentucky. Our hope is to build cultural awareness and appreciation with economic development for both regions while fostering hope for youth based on cooperation and service to others through educational exchange.  The program began in 1988. More information can be found here.

Brian Kane Fellowship Program

The Brian Kane Fellowship Program began as a volunteer position and grew to a full-time salaried post. Honoring former ACK Board member Brian Kane, the fellowship is awarded to an individual who will best promote KEEP's ideal of building cross-cultural understanding by service to others through international exchange and educational programming.

Former Brian Kane Fellows have led foreign movie nights, foreign language conversation classes and sessions, helped create websites in English for the ACK, and implemented and assisted with many other programs. The Fellows utilize their own personal skills and interests in order to further expand the awareness of their culture within the KEEP community. In return, the Fellows get to experience Japan in a unique way, and also deepen their own understanding of Japanese culture.

For more information about the Brian Kane Fellowship, or to learn about the application process, please click here.

Tulgao Project in the Northern Philippines

KEEP supports an outreach and development program in the village of Tulgao, in the Philippines. Located in the northern mountains of Luzon Island, the ACK and KEEP are partners with the people of Tulgao, working together to create an exchange of ideas and technology that benefits both sides of the partnership. The ACK works closely with the Episcopal Diocese of the Northern Philippines (EDNP) to coordinate the projects. For more information on this program, please click here.

Paul Rusch Memorial Scholarship at Rikkyo University

The ACK helps to fund the Dr. Paul Rusch Memorial Scholarship at Rikkyo University, located in Ikebukuro Ward, Tokyo, where Dr. Rusch was once a professor (1926-1942). The scholarship and memorial fund helps encourage students in the profession of social service or education by funding service activities designed and implemented by the Rikkyo University scholarship students. The scholarship increases awareness of the importance of service to others.

Designed to support activities grounded in volunteer work and the Christian faith, the Memorial Scholarship has been funded by the ACK since 1982 with the Dr. Paul Rusch Memorial Fund. Students have received anywhere from 150,000 to 500,000 yen ($1,300-$4,400 at the current exchange rate). The service projects have ranged from projects abroad in the Philippines and China, to work within Japan and Tokyo. Students are chosen based on a recommendation letter, their expected activities, and an interview process.