Connections among the school, parents, and the community can lead to good things.

Charity sometimes takes the form of an activity or gift that benefits the public at large. The charity drive that grade five teachers and students participated in is a perfect example of this. For three weeks, ASB members collected money, stationery, books, toys, and clothes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Over 7,000 RMB in cash and a large amount of clothing were donated. This exceeded our expectations! We would like to record the touching moments in this event. Let’s hear what’s on the minds of some of the teachers, students, parents, and volunteers.

Teachers: This is one of the best ways for students to learn about working for the public good.

We interviewed Ms. Yao, who was in charge of the donations. She was quite surprised by the passion of students. They were so active that she had to remind them to line up when going from the lobby to the main stairs. Moreover, as the head of ASB, Ms. Yao also appreciated their dedication to the community and school. They needed to work through their fears by making a presentation in different classes. Most of them devoted themselves to volunteer work rather than playing or studying during the lunch break. They truly set a good example for other grade five students.

Other homeroom teachers also have wonderful stories. Ms. Zhuo said one lovely girl in her class came up and donated things almost every time we collected. You can find her signature on the donation list several times. One foreign teacher joked that he felt that he was working in a big warehouse, because all the donated items from kids were everywhere in the office.

Students: We can make the world a better place.

Thanks to the dedication of students, the charity drive was a big success, and students were upbeat about their role in helping others. As one student said, “I think that donating clothes is one of the easiest ways to help make the world a better place, one little step at a time.”

Students learned that although they are young, they have the power to change the world. Students were willing to help people in need, for example, someone who could not afford to buy new clothes or books. The entire classroom became silent when watching a video clip of poor children in rural places. The students were ready to take action at once. Helping clean up the house and collecting and taking used items to school for recycling were good chances to show their societal good will. Some students donated their own pocket money instead of asking for money from their parents. To our surprise, one girl brought 20 bags of clothes for donation. When asked why she was donating, a young man said with pride, “I hope someone will benefit from my clothing donation.”

Students became more mature and responsible throughout the activity, and charity connected them with the real world.

Parents: My kids are developing their capacity to care about others.

Without parents’ support, the activity would not have been so successful. No matter whether they donated new or used things, they all showed the love and warm hearts of students’ families.

To our happiness, we have received letters of thanks from parents. Many of the letters express thanks at the beneficial effects of the activity on their children. One parent expressed appreciation of this event for helping her son to care about others. Another mentioned that her son took the initiative to help her tidy up his room for the first time. Another parent said her son was excited that the used things he donated could be of help to others and that he felt like a superman because he had helped people far away from here.

Parents would like to see kids became mature. They also really enjoyed working with the kids and sharing their ideas.

Volunteers: Kids can also change the world.

We can’t forget the contribution of Mr. Hu, the leader of the Futian Environmental Protection Organization. Always dressed in his green jacket, he smiled all the time and maintained a cheerful disposition. After picking up the recyclable items, he and his partners transported them to Qinghai Province. “Recycling can help the environment and people,” was his catchphrase. In his point of view, in addition to being good for the environment, recycling reduces the clutter in the house and creates a healthier living space for the family. Why not get involved in the event if it helps both the receivers and donators?

Mr. Hu hopes that more and more kids will become involved in volunteer work. If they become regularly involved in such activities while growing up, the tendency to consider the effects of their own actions on other people and on society will come naturally to them when they’re older, and as a result they will create an atmosphere of sharing and love.

As the saying by Aldous Huxley goes, “Moral principles are like measles. They have to be caught.” We were all grateful for the donations. This activity provided an opportunity for the school, volunteer organizations, parents, and others to work together and make the world a little bit better than it was before.