Testimony of Love- Scholarships for students
in Canada
VANCOUVER, Canada - On June 9th, 2005,
Tzu Chi volunteers from the Coquitlam District visited Eric
Lanton Elementary to attend a very special ceremony. The first
thing they saw upon arrival was the lively and innocent smiles
of the students. Tzu Chi's provides scholarships to Canadian
students every year to help them further their education.
Tzu Chi volunteers hope to bring love and care to the kids.
They want the kids to realize that the future is full of hope.
Not only did the volunteers invite the students and their
parents, they also invited their teachers to join the ceremony.
This was a good opportunity for everyone to learn more about
Tzu Chi's missions and Master Cheng Yen's spiritual principles
During the ceremony, Mr. Kuo-Ching Ho,
Tzu Chi's Canada Director, introduced Tzu Chi activities in
Canada and their tsunami relief efforts in Sri Lanka. One
of the audience members, Wendy, was deeply touched by Tzu
Chi's efforts and expressed, "This is my first time meeting
and listening to a tsunami relief volunteer. Tzu Chi volunteers
are very compassionate. I wish that I can carry out Tzu Chi's
missions in our community. I really like Tzu Chi".
Karen, the Superintendent of School District
No. 42, indicated in her speech that, "Through the scholarship
program, I was introduced to Tzu Chi. One day while reading
the Vancouver Sun, I saw an article about Tzu Chi's tsunami
relief efforts and Master Cheng's four missions (Charity,
Medicine, Education and Humanitarian Culture). I looked for
more information on Tzu Chi after that. Today, I am very thankful
that you can spread love to children in our district. Today,
I am also very fortunate to witness Tzu Chi volunteers in
action. Thank you for your contribution and we hope all of
you will visit us more often."
A beacon of love and education
Joshua
O'Brian, the first Tzu Chi scholarship recipient in Canada,
played the piano on stage during the ceremony. Joshua was
very excited about meeting Tzu Chi volunteers again. Joshua
was born premature and weighed only 30 ounces at birth. He
became completely blind when he was only 26 months old. Joshua
was abandoned as a child and was raised by his grandmother.
Five years ago, with help from a Tzu Chi scholarship, he was
able to take private piano lessons. This helped him tremendously.
Before the lessons, Joshua was short tempered and would scream
at people, especially when he gets frustrated from miscommunications
with others. The volunteers were very happy to see that he
has since become very optimistic and lively. Love cannot be
touched or seen but its power can be felt. Tzu Chi volunteers
strive to embrace great love and respect to all.
Sydney
was the second performer of the day. The volunteers were moved
when they saw Sydney's confidence. She performed tap dancing
and won over the audience. Sydney's mother also expressed
her gratitude on stage. She shared, "Three years ago,
Sydney wanted to learn how to dance but we were unable to
help her because of our financial situation. However, Tzu
Chi and the school district helped us achieve her dream. I
am very thankful."
Ocean, a former scholarship recipient,
expressed, " I am very happy to attend this ceremony.
I know who helped me and gave me this new backpack. In this
program, I am finally able to participate in extracurricular
activities such as mountain climbing, horseback riding and
camping. Without this program, I could never participate in
these meaningful activities".
During
the ceremony, Tzu Chi volunteers also jumped in and performed
many beautiful Tzu Chi songs in sign language, including "The
Three No's" and "Spreading the Seeds of Love".
After the ceremony, people stayed to discuss ways to improve
the scholarship program and, at the same time, enjoyed a tasty
vegetarian meal prepared by Tzu Chi volunteers. Since 1999,
Tzu Chi has donated 100,000 dollars every year in scholarships
to low-income students in Vancouver. The scholarship program
benefits more than 800 students every year.
