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这是一个美国华裔基督徒女孩写的真实故事(原文是英文,后翻译成中文)。她在疫情期间建立了一个基金会,向同学们募捐零用钱,购买口罩,捐赠给美国临终关怀医院、养老院的医护人员。她生性羞涩,却愿意克服困难,尽己所能,让我们看到了下一代的善良、能力、信心和希望!
困在家的头三个星期里,我除了在网上上课和准备大学入学的SAT考试以外,每天在网上阅读新闻,心里有感动,觉得应该为社区做些力所能及的事情。
4月8日,我参加了华人社区组织的活动,给附近医院捐赠了800个口罩。这次活动结束后我有了一个新想法:我自己应该继续做更多这样的活动。随即我把父母在物资短缺期间从中国购买的200个口罩全部捐赠给了斯波坎临终关怀医院(Hospice of Spokane)。
该非营利机构的服务对象均为绝症病人。临终关怀医院非常感谢我的捐赠,医院志愿者服务部主任告诉我,临终关怀医院不像附近的医院那样优先得到人们捐赠的口罩。我被他的话所鼓励,决心做更多这样的事情。
![急需的手 援助的手 急需的手 援助的手](http://aromaofjesus.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/518x437xbeepress7-1594163557.jpeg.pagespeed.ic.il706ye3JI.jpg)
在社交媒体的筹资介绍上,我邀请我的朋友每人节省5美元的零用钱为这项运动捐赠。十分钟过去了。二十分钟过去了。一个小时过去了。我凝视着我的GoFundMe页面,我带着恳求的眼神祈求有人捐赠,不论任何人不论多少金额都可以。
“ 卓灵,ROSIE捐了10美元!!!” 我妈妈从她的办公室高兴地尖叫着跑上楼。募捐设立后的两个小时,我收到了第一笔捐款。
我很受鼓舞,但也立刻遇到了困难。虽然我的很多同学朋友都看到了我的捐款呼吁,但许多人无法通过GoFundMe捐赠现金零用钱,因为该网站仅接受信用卡。
更糟糕的是,我被一些关于我的募捐活动的信息打击。 “给前线工作者捐口罩,为什么?这是政府的责任!”我的一个朋友发短信给我。 “钱会用去买口罩吗?”我的另一个朋友问。我差点支持不住。
![急需的手 援助的手 急需的手 援助的手](http://aromaofjesus.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/beepress8-1594163558.jpeg)
这时,我无意中听到妈妈和我的钢琴老师布雷特太太之间通电话, 她们的一番话坚固了我的决心。布雷特先生住在斯波坎老兵养老院,那里有五十多例确诊病例。更加可怕的是布雷特先生的室友被测试为病毒阳性。
在我的一生中,布雷特夫人和布雷特先生一直慷慨地支持我,甚至超乎于在钢琴教育之外地关怀我。听到布雷特先生身处险况的信息使我深受打击,我意识到我必须马上采取行动,否则会为时太晚。
从小我就一直是个害羞的女孩,但是这次我决心要冲出我的舒适区,我必须要直接与我的朋友们的父母联系,请求他们通过信用卡帮助他们的孩子实现捐零用钱的愿望。
不仅如此,我还与所有我认识的人联系,呼召他们的支持。令我惊讶的是,不但父母支持他们的孩子,就连父母他们自己也主动要求参加这项活动。
有了这么强大的支持,我的募捐活动在短短三天内就达到了$ 600目标。强大的支持使我深受感动。立刻我买了口罩,我和我的朋友们立刻送了600张口罩给斯波坎老兵养老院,并且附上了我写给医务人员的一张言辞激动的感谢卡。
![急需的手 援助的手 急需的手 援助的手](http://aromaofjesus.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/beepress8-1594163560.png)
学生和他们父母的好意真的让我很感动。在社区的大力支持下,到4月28日,即活动开始后的第12天,我筹集了$ 2,040,我组织的Team Gleam团队总共捐了5000 个医用口罩,分别给了斯波坎临终关怀医院、圣心医院、神圣家庭医院、儿童医院、Rockwood养老院和Orchard Crest养老院。
除了向一线员工捐口罩外,Team Gleam团队还捐给慈善机构, 包括联合福音传教团的慈善诊所、 刘易斯和克拉克社区食品救济服务、基督厨房和Feed Thy Neighbor。
口罩的捐赠还在继续。
“在美国,有100,000人死于冠状病毒(截止北京时间7月6日9时,美国确诊病例总数已超287万,死亡人数超过12.9万)。什么时候才能结束?” 读着这个令人沮丧的头条新闻,我感到沉重。这场战斗尚未结束。应对当前流行病真的仅仅是政府的责任吗?我想起了鼓舞人心的歌曲“We are the World” (天下一家):
“There are people dying
(有些地方的人们正逐渐死亡)
Oh, and it's time to lend a hand to life
(是该伸出援助之手的时候了)
...
It's true we'll make a better day
(真的,创造美好的未来要靠我们)
just you and me
(就靠你和我)"
附:作者英文原文 A Hand Much Needed and Lended Jeslyn Z Cai
Weeping cherry trees were starting to blossom in the beginning of March in Spokane, WA. I could smell the freshness and calmness of spring. In hospitals nearby, however, things were chaotic, as news on TV showed me every day. They were overloaded with coronavirus patients; doctors were overworking; many medical staff members accidentally contracted the virus, and people there desperately needed protective masks. Many people in my city had been confirmed positive, and some had died. Many more people in the United States and around the world had died of Covid-19. On March 17th, my school was closed, and people were ordered to stay home. I was scared, despondent, and helpless.
Confined to my house for three weeks taking classes online, preparing for SAT, and reading news on the Internet, I felt that I should do something to help. On April 8, I participated in the Chinese Community’s one-time donation of 800 masks to Deaconess Hospital. Leaving this event, a moment of Zen came to my mind: I probably could do more by myself. Using the 200 masks my parents had bought from China during the shortage of supplies, I donated them all to the Hospice of Spokane, a non-profit organization serving patients with terminal illnesses. The Hospice was so appreciative of my donation because the director of volunteer service told me that it was not as prioritized as the nearby hospitals were when people donated masks. I was greatly galvanized by the hospice staff members’ encouraging words and was determined to do much more.
Within a week, I founded a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization named Team Gleam in order to raise funds to facilitate and legitimize donations. My mom helped me establish the organization’s bank account. On April 16th, I started a GoFundMe account and set up the goal to raise $600 in one week.
On social media, I asked my friends to spare $5 of their allowance for the campaign. Ten minutes passed. Twenty minutes passed. One hour passed. I gazed at my GoFundMe campaign page, begging with my eyes that someone would donate. Anytime, any amount, anyone could donate.
“JESLYN, ROSIE DONATED $10!!!!” my mom screamed jovially from her office downstairs. The first donation rolled in two hours after the account was established.
I was encouraged, but immediately I ran into problems. Though many people had seen my call for participation, many could not donate their cash allowances via GoFundMe because the website only accepts cards. Even worse, I became discouraged by some questioning about my campaign. “Mask for frontline, why? This is the government’s responsibility,” a friend of mine texted me. “Is the money going to you?” another one of my friends asked. I was almost backing down. Nevertheless, a phone conversation between my mom and my piano teacher, Mrs. Brett, I overheard solidified my determination. Mr. Brett lived in the Spokane Veterans Nursing Home, where there were more than fifty confirmed cases. Even more frightening, Mr. Brett’s roommate was tested positive for the virus. For my whole life, Mrs. and Mr. Brett had generously supported me, even outside of piano. I was hit hard by this newfound information, and I knew that I had to take action or else it would be too late.
I had been an insecure girl ever since I was little, but, this time, I decided to get out of my comfort zone. So I directly contacted the parents to support their kids by donating with their cards. Moreover, I reached out to everyone I knew, asking for any contribution they could give. To my surprise, even the parents themselves wanted to join the campaign apart from supporting their kids. Through this abundant support, in only three days into the campaign, I had reached my $600 goal. I was deeply touched by the overwhelming support. Excited, my friends and I sent 600 masks to the Spokane Veterans Nursing Home with a card of appreciation for their services.
I was truly touched by the students’ and their parents’ kindness. By April 28, 12 days into the campaign, I had raised $2,040. With the tremendous support from the community, Team Gleam donated 5,000 masks to the Hospice of Spokane, Sacred Heart Hospital, Holy Family Hospital, Children’s Hospital, the Rockwood Retirement Home, and Orchard Crest Retirement Home. Beyond giving to frontline workers, Team Gleam also donated to the Lewis and Clark Community Food Drive, Christ Kitchen, The Union Gospel Mission charity clinic, and Feed Thy Neighbor. The donation of masks is ongoing.
“100,000 people have died from coronavirus in the U.S. When will it end?” Reading this gloomy headline news, I felt heavy. This battle is not over yet. So, is it just the government’s responsibility to handle the pandemic at hand?
I am reminded of the inspiring song “We are the World”:
“There are people dying Oh, and it's time to lend a hand to life ... It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me.”
-END-
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