Great Love has no boundaries across race and religion; Tzu Chi inspires love from the man in the street as its volunteers busily solicit charity funds during the street fundraiser. Photo by Tam Sam Ba
On 24 September 2016, Zheng Wen Chuan took to the streets to raise funds for Tzu Chi Singapore for the first time. An entrepreneur, Zheng was impressed with the image of Tzu Chi volunteers humbly soliciting funds for the Foundation’s local charity projects and visited the Jing Si Hall (Tzu Chi’s premises) for the first time on his own accord. He soon began participating in its activities and this time, he helped out in the street fundraiser in the spirit of wanting to give back to society. “In the past I was a donor, I never expected that I would be bowing 90 degrees to raise funds from passersby,” said Zheng.
It was the second such flag day event for Tzu Chi and apart from celebrating the organization’s 23rd year of establishment in Singapore, the intention was also to take the opportunity to raise funds for its charitable projects. With manpower equivalent to 559 volunteers, it was easy to spot Tzu Chi volunteers at various places, such as the MRT stations, markets and other public places bowing humbly as they solicited funds from the public with the aim of inspiring love and kindness all around.
“Tzu Chi! Great Love!” A fruit seller uttered these words upon spotting the familiar sight of volunteers. Under the hot sun, some street hawkers took out their umbrellas to shield volunteers from the heat while others approached to advise them to stand in shady areas.
In Bedok, 76-year-old Aiseah Binti Osman, who lives alone, put some small change she had into the donation box, saying “Singaporeans should help one another regardless of race……my donation isn’t a lot; even if it’s just a dollar, it can benefit others.”
Giving Back to Society─ An Opportunity to be Treasured
Volunteer Chen You Xing stands at the doorway of the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple at Waterloo Street with a ready smile. Last year, he and his wife, Gu Yu Hao, had to miss volunteering in the street fundraiser as they were busy with other matters; this year, they decided to take turns to care for their grandchild so that they could both lend a hand in the activity.
“The fundraiser is only once a year and the opportunity is hard to come by. We won’t know if we’ll still be around next year……every cent counts when it comes to helping others.”
Volunteer Chen You Xing (centre) and his wife took turns to look after their grandchild so that both of them could help out in the street fundraiser. Photo by Feng Gui Qiong
Chen rushed home at noon to take care of his grandchild so that his wife could help out in the counting of donations at the Jing Si Hall.
Starting her day early, Huang Li Yu was stationed at the Bangkit Road Market to solicit funds from the residents. Huang works in a shipping company and manages the movement of containers. She only has one weekend rest day a month and is sometimes required to work overtime. She normally does not have the opportunity to take part in weekend activities, but this time however, she had her leave approved and could take part in the street fundraiser. “I feel even happier than if I had received a bonus!” she said cheerfully.
Huang Li Yu (left) cheerfully carrying out her role collecting donations from the public. Photo by Huang Fu Shun
At a little past 6am in the morning, 74-year-old Li Yu Ling had breakfast with some of her volunteer friends at the Teck Whye Market before proceeding to raise funds from the public. Despite a painful corn on her right leg, she was able to stand and bow for four hours straight. “I’m just grateful that I can be part of this,” said Li.
Breaking Past Inner Obstacles
For Huang Kai Fu, being under the hot sun for seven to eight hours continuously did not diminish the cheerfulness of his smile. He had been stationed at the Clementi MRT station since early morning, and at noon, headed to the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple with his donation box. Though he said his body was tired, mentally, he was not fatigued despite having to explain the objective of the street fundraiser over and over again to those who were puzzled about it.
Huang described the feeling of being a fundraiser as different from what he experienced as a donor himself. It was his first time soliciting funds at a public venue, and he admitted to feeling a little comfortable. However, seeing many kind hearted people make a donation that day, he was filled with joy.
Zheng Wen Chuan is a semi-retired entrepreneur and had recently moved to a new house near the Jing Si Hall. He said “I was a donor in the past, it never occurred to me that I would be here today giving 90-degree bows to those making a donation.”
Many years ago, Zheng had observed Tzu Chi volunteers raising funds on the streets too, and had seen them bow humbly with hands sincerely clasped in blessing as they did so. He recalled feeling touched at the scene.
In order to gain a better understanding of the organization, Zheng visited the Jing Si Hall to learn more about its culture and spirit. Subsequently, he signed up to help out in the street fundraiser.
“I hope that the love from everybody can be channeled into charitable causes. Society has given me so much, (so) I should also give back what I can,” said Zheng, who is 69 years old this year.
He even laughed as he said that he did not feel it was too much to humble himself as he solicited donations. Though it had been many hours, he said his legs could still stand and his waist could still bend. With the hot sun shining down on his enthusiastic figure, Zheng hoped fervently that he could inspire more love from others and together, engage in good for mankind.
A volunteer carefully prepares the donation boxes. Every box must be tightly sealed and be marked with a registration number. Photo by Nichelle Chan
At 6am in the morning, volunteers gathered at various points before the fundraiser started. After they had completed the required paperwork and were briefed by their leaders, they fanned out to their designated location. Photo by Huang Fu Shun
Volunteers hard at work counting the funds. Photo by Wong Twee Hee
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