Tzu Chi San Francisco Fundraising
(Reported by Sister Tzu Hung, San Francisco; Translated by
Stanley Peng, Northern California)
The terrorist attack of September 11 destroyed
buildings and left nearly six thousand people killed or missing,
and it also caused utmost grief and sorrow. Tzu Chi offices
in the United States respect the words of Dharma Master Cheng
Yen: "Your heads are lifted towards other skies and your
feet tread other soil; when you take from other societies,
you must also give, protect and care." After the incident,
Tzu Chi offices in the eastern United States immediately provided
emergency assistance, and offices in other areas also started
various fund-raising activities.
On September 22, volunteers in San
Francisco sponsored a bazaar, and from September 28 to 30,
they raised funds on the streets in more than ten places around
the Bay Area. During these three days, volunteers took their
whole families along to participate in these events. In spite
of a foot injury, Sister Meishiang of the Northern California
office came in a wheelchair with assistance from her husband.
On September 28, Yi-Chin Chen, a reporter for Channel 66,
a Bay Area Chinese TV station, went to California and Montgomery
in San Francisco to tape a special news report, which was
broadcast on the 7:30 news program that evening.
The terrorist event stimulated a strong
sense of unity throughout the nation. The flag became a household
necessity, and stores quickly ran out of stock. Tzu Chi volunteers
used red, white and blue ribbons to make "love knots"
for sale. These handicrafts became very popular items. By
the third day they had run out of material, and volunteers
had to go all around town to look for more. The "love
knots" sold for two dollars each, and a total of more
than two thousand were sold.
During the three days of fund-raising on
the streets, we all felt a strong sense of warmth. Some people
paid five or ten dollars for a "love knot," but
told us to keep the change. At Tung-Tai Plaza in the East
Bay, a ten-year-old child came to donate twice. There was
a woman who not only donated twenty dollars herself, but also
gave a twenty-dollar bill to each of her two daughters to
donate. This kindhearted mother who taught her children through
her own example was certainly worthy of the highest praise.
Master Cheng Yen once said, "When all
hearts are purified, when everyone gives of their love, and
when neighbors in a community care for each other, then we
can accumulate good fortune, change all bad karma to good,
and turn disaster into peace and harmony." If everyone
can be of one heart, get along with each other, love each
other, and cooperate with each other, then seeds of love and
goodness will be sown and take root. We believe that in the
near future we can avoid all conflicts and there will be no
more disasters in this world.
