Fourteen Years of Tzu Chi Service
HOUSTON, TEXAS - In 1991, Tzu Chi established
a chapter in Houston, Texas, the largest city in the southern
part of the U.S. The architecture of the chapter was modeled
after the Jing Si Hall in Taiwan, which is the heartland and
headquarters of Tzu Chi. In the passing
years, the institution has been an important gathering locale
for Tzu Chi volunteers and a source of service for impoverished
communities all over Texas, as well as in the neighboring
country of Mexico.
To celebrate the 14th anniversary of Tzu
Chi's Texas chapter, Tzu Chi volunteers prepared a huge cake
and held a volunteers' training seminar. A total of 121 Tzu
Chi commissioners and Tzu Cheng Faith Corps members from all
across the country were in attendance as they shared their
thoughts and encouragements.
Tzu Chi's Clinics and Distributions
In 2002, the Tzu Chi International Medical
Association, TIMA, created a branch in Texas and began holding
regular free clinics and medical consultations in Houston's
low-income communities. Volunteers provide these services
knowing that many of the families could not afford to pay
for health insurance.
A few hours drive from Houston lies the
small town of Arlington. Volunteers visited a shelter for
women and abused children. On the day of the visit, it was
one of the children's birthday. Volunteers prepared a cake
for the child in an effort to bring more cheer to those in
the shelter.
Tzu Chi volunteers also visit local schools
to hold relief distributions for students from low-income
families. One of these schools is Shearn Elementary School.
Of the near 500 students, 98% come from low-income households,
and most students can't afford to buy lunch without the school
subsidy. Tzu Chi volunteers visit Shearn Elementary on a regular
basis. On this particular distribution, they gave 2-month's
worth of school supplies to the students.
