Sichuan Earthquake Update

Archive for the ‘Fundraising Events’ Category

The fundraising event organised by London Chinatown Chinese Association raised £19,586.49 for the victims of recent Yushu earthquake in the North-west of China.

Leslie Ng, President of the Association, said, “We are pleased that the rain stopped and the sun came out as soon as we started our fund raiser in Chinatown! We are grateful to the Chinese community and visitors to London Chinatown who made generous donations for such a worthwhile cause.”

From: LinkChinese News

A letter from Wendy Wu, reporting the donation and distribution of funds collected through Sichuan Earthquake Update:

Download PDF version of this letter and report

Dear Friends,

As CEO of MBL, I would like to thank you sincerely of your support of my Sichuan Earthquake appeal during my service. I was absolutely touched by your generosity and swift response to support Sichuan children. I am also very much indebted to my volunteers who gathered together strongly with me. My memories were filled with all the stories how hard my volunteers were working together for Sichuan Children. Today on this remembering day, I would like to reiterate that my promise to the public to deliver 100% of the donations to Sichuan relief still remains.

As an immediate relief to Sichuan, we have transferred the first 4000 pounds to the Chinese Children and Teenage Fund. They have confirmed that the funds were used to purchase school blackboard, tables and chairs. To follow this up, at a personal level, I funded myself the trip from London to Sichuan last year and also volunteered English teaching in the refugee camp at Pingwu. During that period, I had a chance to gather first hand information of what was needed on the ground. Following up my research and the recommendations by a group of young students in senior middle school, we found out Nanba School which is located at the foot of mountains. At the beginning of the earthquake rescue period, it was marooned by the landslide from four sides, the bridge collapsed and there were no communication with outside world.

Again being guided by the students, we found the headmaster of Naba Centre Primary School where gathered students from different villages from the neighbouring areas. The head teacher was still in grief as he lost both his only daughter and his sister. To be a Chinese man, he tried to hide his pains. He listed key donations that the school has received from donors. We sat down together and identified the gaps for schools that would improve the “software” of the local education system. That would include teachers’ training, widening access opportunities for students and relief for poor students. It was agreed that we would call it “Stepping Out the Mountain Go and See Fund.”

Due to the change of my career path last year when I came back from China, I have submitted this proposal to the MBL trustee board who are taking full responsibility to complete the further transfer to Sichuan.

I would like to report the funding situation to you:

Project: Help Children in Sichuan Earthquake

Part A:

From May 2008 to 12th Feb 2009

1. Just Giving £19,997.13
2. Cheques and Cash: £6034.26

Total: £26,031.39

Less: Transferred to China Children Teenagers Fund 07.09.08 £4000

The final balance that should be transferred to Sichuan is £22,031.39.

Part B:

Donation from a team effort from Miss Jia Cheng and Mr. Bong Choi, Legal and General (they intend to donate money to a designated school in Sichuan).

10 pound Cash Donations+ 31 Cheques (including CAF bank cheque) total = £6005.00

I have outlined the key points of the proposal that was agreed by the MBL turstee board in principle:

Sichuan Earthquake Release

Donor: MBL Solicited Earthquake Fund – Raised by the joint force of Sichuan Earthquake Updates

Beneficiaries: NanBa Primary School (南坝小学), PinWu County (平武县南坝镇中心小学)

Officer: 杜勇Mr. Yong Du ( Du is the family name) President of NanBa Primary School

Receiving Account: C/O NanBa Primary School via PingWu Red Cross Bank Account

Account NO: 51001658636059000035

Bank Name: MianYang Branch, China Construction Bank

Account Holder: PingWu County Red Cross

Date of Release: By 19th Jan 2009 (Before Chinese Lunar New Year)

Monitored by:

PingWu County Red Cross and Physical Education Financial Division of PingWu Educational Bureau.

Due to the delay of official verification and evidence gathering, the item of winter cloths need to be revised and merged into student hardship relieve.

I hope this clarifies the current funding situation. I also believe that the fund will be in the capable hands of MBL trustee board who will deliver along with your love to Sichuan Children on your behalf.

You might be aware that MBL’s earthquake 2008 appeal has now closed. Any further donations towards the earthquake should be sent to Red Cross, Save the Children or Care for Children. The 100% donation policy for Sichuan will only apply to the 2008 call during my service. However, if you feel you wish to donate any further money to MBL in general please feel free to do soon its justgiving website. www.justgiving.com/mbl

God Bless.

Many thanks, Wendy

Watching the news from Sichuan, a family in Seattle decided to give help to the victims by organising a performance. From Seattlepi.com.

By CLAIRE TRAGESER
P-I REPORTER

When a catastrophic earthquake hit China’s Sichuan Province last month, Min Christ wondered how much she could help halfway around the world.

Because her daughter, Shelby, performs with the Henga Dance Academy, a professional Chinese dance school, Christ decided to hold a dance show to raise money for Sichuan residents.

“Originally we thought just our family wanted to do something, but then we talked to my daughter’s dance teacher, and he said, ‘Yeah, we want to help,’ ” Christ said. “Then more families and more friends wanted to help.”

More and more people became involved until the Christs found themselves with an 18-performance program that includes Zhenglun Li, winner of China’s National Cello Competition in 1988; Claire Yu Qi, a singer who won the famous GuZheng Chinese Department of Culture competition in 1995; the Seattle Chinese Opera; and the Microsoft Chime Band. Other singers, dancers, musicians and martial artists will also perform.

Read the full story.

The Chinese Students & Scholars Association (CSSA-QMUL) at Queen Mary and Mother’s Bridge of Love (MBL) organized an On-Campus Fundraiser on the 20th, May, for the Help Children in China Quake project, which aims to help children and orphanages in the disaster area.

The one-day fundraising took place in front of the library of QMUL. Staff, students in Queen Mary and engineer workers working near by show great concern about the Chinese earthquake and donated generously. Chinese students donated elegant traditional Chinese handicraft, silk scarf and fine calligraphy tool kits as gifts, as well as for donation sale. But a lot of the donors kindly refused the expensive gifts. Instead, they happily took a simple handmade Green ribbon or Chinese knot as a memory.

1738.41 in GBP were collected in this event and has been sent to the China Education Development Foundation. Click here to view the receipt for the bank transfer.

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From Wings of Life charity concert of China organisers:

The University is to host a gala concert in aid of the people affected by the earthquake in China.

Featuring a mixture of Chinese and Western dance and music, the idea for the concert came from Chinese students studying in the University. They have, in association with the Chinese Consulate in Edinburgh and the Chinese Community in Scotland, put together in a few days a concert that would normally take at least a year to organise.

The concert will feature amongst others Yi Dong, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh and a leading exponent of the zheng - the most popular national instrument in China, and students from the Glasgow Royal Music and Drama School.

Tickets will be available at the door on the night of the event and a suggested donation of £10 for an adult and £8 for a child would be welcome.

If you are unable to attend the concert but would like to donate, you can do so via the Chinese Consulate General in Edinburgh from 9am -12pm, Monday to Friday.

The programme will start at 7.30pm and will end at approximately 8.45pm at McEwan Hall, Edinburgh on Tuesday 3rd June 2008.

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RICEFIELD
Arts and Cultural Centre

invites you to a private viewing of woodblock prints
on Friday 23 May 2008, 5 to 8 pm

Ricefield is collaborating with Glasgow Print Studio to bring to Glasgow an exhibition of the remarkable woodblock prints of Chen Qi.

Chen Qi is one of China’s leading contemporary printmakers; he has exhibited extensively throughout the world. As a relatively young artist, he is also the professor of Fine Art at Beijing University. His total command of tone using this medium, make him a master of Chinese traditional water-based printmaking. Chen Qi uses distinctive Chinese icons extensively in his woodblock prints. Each of his works reflects the simple, elegant and tranquil elements of traditional Chinese painting.

RSVP to Suzanne Chong: events@ricefield.org.uk

Exhibition dates:
23 May – 28 June 2008
Tuesday to Saturday
10:30am – 5:00pm
(out of office hours viewing can be arranged by appointment)

Ricefield, 41 West Graham St, Glasgow G4 9LJ
0141 331 1019
www.ricefield.org.uk

All proceed of this exhibition will go towards the MBL Suchauan Earthquark Appeal
For more information please visit: http://sichuanearthquake.org.uk

Please feel free to forward this email to any colleagues you think may be interested.

A tea party and charity auction held in Edinburgh Confucius Institute raised 700 pounds for the Help the Earthquake Children campaign.

The event, organised by Dr Yuhua Hu of Edinburgh University, was to raise fund for the charity Mother Bridge of Love (MBL), who will use the donation to help children affected by the Sichuan earthquake. Some local and visiting artists donated their work for the auction. Xiang Silou, a woodblock artist, donated two of his woodblock prints through Edinburgh Confucius Institute. A professor from Sichuan Normal University Institute of Arts, Xiang Silou is currently the artist in residence at the Burrell Collection, Glasgow and had exhibition recently in Ricefield. He went back to Sichuan before the earthquake and would like to help the people in the earthquake by donating his art work. Many Chinese of all generations had donated artifacts, jewels, fashion accessories and green teas for the auction. Wang Ying, a young artist, brought her own painting, Boy with a Bamboo Flute, to the event. The boy in the painting is a young Sichuan boy Miss Wang met during her trip to Sichuan last year.

Participants of the tea party and auction were mainly Chinese students, professionals and their local friends. Consul Li Li Bei from Chinese Consulate General told the audiences she was touched by the support and solidarity shown by the British public. Wendy Wu, CEO of MBL, expressed her gratitude towards Dr Yuhua Hu, the auction host Dr Zhongdong Niu, a Napier University lecturer, other helpers who were all volunteers, and the participating crowd. She also discussed some potential projects in Sichuan earthquake area the donation could support.

Several local Chinese artists came to give performance during the party. Dr Zhongdong Niu injected some auction spirit into it by asking the audiences to bid for the performance, bringing some joy into the otherwise solemn occasion. The most touching performance, however, was Mr Zhang Suning’s reading of two of his poems inspired by the true stories in the rescue process.

The event raised about 700 pounds for the Help the Earthquake Children project. Dr Yuhua Hu, a member of CYPE (Chinese Young Professionals in Edinburgh) said she’s glad to be able to do something to help the earthquake children. “I’ve seen tremendous support and kindness from the friends and public which the earthquake children will appreciate. We must do more to help them,” said Wendy Wu. MBL is cooperating with other organisation to run more fundraising events around the UK.

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The Chinese Students & Scholars Association (CSSA-QMUL) at Queen Mary and Mother’s Bridge of Love (MBL) are organizing an On-Compus Fundraiser for the Help Children in China Quake project, which aims to help children and orphanages in the disaster area.

CSSA-QMUL and MBL are making an urgent appeal to all to donate money for the disaster relief, targeting at helping the SUFFERING CHILDREN SPECIFICALLY. We thank for friends who already called, donated money and shared their concerns. We are calling for more people to join the rescue action.

On-Campus donation and Charity Sales will take place on Tue 20th May 08, between 11am and 4pm,

at Queen Mary Campus, in front of the library .

If you are having any suggestions please contact the CSSA at qmcn.info@googlemail.com . The CSSA has a Chinese language forum at www. qmcn.org/bbs and the earthquake thread is http://www.qmcn.org/bbs/read.php?tid=4228

Yours Sincerely,
CSSA-QMUL, MBL

In the event of the harrowing earthquakes in Sichuan, Mother Bridge of Love (MBL) has decided to raise funds for the children who suffered in the earthquakes through our 17th May event previously planned for our Kungfu Panda - Edinburgh Marathon Relay Team.

Now our charity Dim Sum event is open for ALL who cares about the China and loves our Children.

Time: 1-4pm, 17 May, Saturday
Venue: Confucius Institute, Edinburgh University. (location and map below)
Programme:

• Consul Li Li Bei from Chinese Consulate General gives speech on the current state of the rescue and relief work in Sichuan and how we can offer more help from the UK.
• Chinese art gallery Ricefield will bring us several original prints by the renowned woodblock artist Professor Xiang Silou from Sichuan Normal University. These woodblock prints will be auctioned to raise funds for more donations.
• MBL CEO Wendy Wu thanks note.
• Light drinks and Dim Sums will be provided at the event.

Please feel free to come and join us in the effort for helping the sufferring children in Sichuan. If you are not able to come along to the event and if you’d like to make a donation or make a bid for Professor Xiang Silou’s artwork, please go to this website:

Sichuan Earthqauke Update: Help the Earthquake Children to Recover
http://sichuanearthquake.org.uk/

Linda Hu, Ph.D.
On behalf of MBL and CYPE (Chinese Young Professionals in Edinburgh)
15 May 2008

Venue information:
The Confucius Institute for Scotland
Abden House
1 Marchhall Crescent
Edinburgh
Scotland, UK
EH16 5HP

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