It was the first birthday the twins would celebrate after moving to Tokyo. Traditionally, Deva Hirsch's family had always donated to a nonprofit to commemorate their birth, so they began a search for a nonprofit in Japan. In doing so, Deva unknowingly set off on a five-year journey that would lead her to a surprising discovery, and help change the face of volunteering in the world's largest city.

After weeks of investigation, she came across Wakaba-ryo, a nonprofit orphanage, and engaged a Japanese friend as an interpreter. In the process, she discovered the significant cultural differences in how the citizenry of U.S. and Japan defined volunteering.

In Japan, asking for, and receiving, assistance is something that happens between families, neighbors and close acquaintances. It is rarely expected, or desired, from strangers. Deva's Japanese friend was surprised that orphanages existed in Japan, that their services would be needed, and that children would have to rely on care from people not related to them.

The realization spurred Deva and a group of her friends to form HandsOn Tokyo, using the proven HandsOn Network model implemented in America. Getting organizations to accept volunteers in direct and significant roles proved difficult, but the HandsOn Tokyo group, comprised of both foreigners and Japanese nationals, was undaunted. They went back to Wakaba-ryo for discussions about expanding volunteer roles.

This progress took a monumental shift in thinking on the part of the Japanese, and in the way HandsOn Tokyo approached nonprofits. The recruitment of more bilingual volunteers to help manage projects eliminated the language barrier, but Deva and her founding group learned that the unspoken language of service was universal. A common goal, smiles, and an outreached hand were understood without words.

Four years later, HandsOn Tokyo now has more than 1,300 registered volunteers, arranges over 200 volunteer activities a year, and has given back more than 10,000 volunteer hours. It has more than 20 corporate sponsors including Accenture, Gap, and DHL. When asked how HandsOn Tokyo got to where it is now, Deva comes back to one important factor, trust. "Every step taken was built on trust, " she says. "Trust is the key. The old adage is true, slow and steady wins the race, and the lesson is this: if an affiliate of the Hands On Network can be established in Japan, with cultural understanding, empathy and patience, it can probably be done anywhere."