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Pu Xi Grade 2: Charity Drive

October 20, 2013

Pu Xi Grade 2: Charity Drive

Our annual Charity Fair is quickly approaching. Grade 2 has already begun preparations with the active support and cooperation of parents. We have been searching for an organization to which we will give our donations in order to give this charity event a greater sense of purpose. Having explored many possibilities, we have decided that donations will go to Longshe Primary School in Anlong, Guizhou. To better inform our community about where our donations will be going, two parent representatives visited the remote school to learn about its history and current situation.

Longshe Primary School has about 300 students enrolled in grades 1-6. One hundred thirty students board at the school, and most of them are orphans or children whose parents have left to find work either temporarily or permanently due to their unstable financial situation. At the school, the mattresses the children sleep on are made of bed sheets sewn together, making the winter extremely difficult for students to endure. In addition, the school does not have the financial resources to fill the shelves of the school’s library with books. Therefore, the books those students can find on the shelves are not suitable at all. Currently, the school is building a multimedia classroom; however, it lacks the funds to purchase the tables and chairs for the room. Furthermore, the school would like to offer its students more extracurricular courses, including an art class, a drumming class, and a PE class, none of which have the necessary equipment. The students themselves also lack proper school supplies to complete their studies. The school has also taken in some handicapped students whose families cannot afford to send them to specialized schools for the handicapped. Without proper resources, Longshe Primary School cannot provide an adequate educational environment for these students. Besides that, their future looks grim since some of them are in 6th grade now and will graduate from this school very soon.

Having learned about the school’s situation, the Grade 2 teachers and PTSA agreed that this year’s charity drive would target the immediate and long-term needs of the school. As an introduction to our charity drive, our teachers have prepared information about the school for the parents, whose feedback and support are necessary to make it a success. In addition, we hope to build a strong friendship with Longshe Primary School to improve the lives and quality of education for Longshe students as well as to give our own students an opportunity to experience the joy of making a difference in others’ lives and learn to cherish their own happy lives more.

So far, we have already started the first stage of our charity drive; we asked students and parents to bring in old books that they could donate to the school. There has been an enthusiastic response throughout the grade, and we have already made great progress toward helping Longshe Primary School fill the shelves of its library.

Next, we will ask students and parents to donate any old winter clothing that they may have to help the school’s students stay warm during the cold winter.

In the third stage of the drive, we will hold our annual Charity Fair next Thursday to raise money for the mattresses, desks, art supplies, drums, exercise equipment, and other resources to improve the quality of life at the school.

Finally, we will send all collected donations to the school. In addition, the students of both schools will communicate through letters and online correspondence so that they can learn about each other’s lives.

This year’s charity drive has been granted approval by the administration and -- with the support of teachers, parents, and students -- is sure to create a long-lasting partnership between SHSID and Longshe Primary School. We also hope that this partnership will make the objective of the Charity Fair clearer to the students as well as increase the effectiveness of the charity drive overall. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to a very successful Charity Fair this year!

(Translated by Sally Wu; Picture by 2(3) parent volunteers)