Pass the Love Charity Foundation Project

Small Acts, Big Impacts
Rachael Kumar

For the very first time, Shanghai United International School – Hongqiao Campus engaged in a READ-A-THON fundraiser in October.  The purpose of the fundraiser was not only to encourage a love for reading, but also to raise money for Pass the Love Charity Foundation, a non-profit and non-governmental organization that builds libraries for rural children in China.  Just one month before, the teachers in our school had participated in the Shanghai Moronathon in support of the same organization.  Together, our teachers raised just under 3500RMB.  This was great motivation for our students.  They were excited and very determined to beat the teachers and raise more than 3500RMB.  Students from Primary Reception right through Grade 5 read and fundraised as much as they could in the last 17 days of October.  It was an exciting time! Students were reading in class, in the library, and even at playtime.  Teachers were reading every chance they got as well.  This was definitely one event that brought students and teachers together with a love for reading and the spirit of giving.

On November 1^st, you could hear cheering from the children and joy from the teachers.  Excitement filled each hallway.  We started counting the money and as each envelope was opened, more and more smiles filled the school.  We were in disbelief with just how much was actually raised.  The students in Primary Reception through Grade 5 should be commended for their hard work and dedication.  Together, in just 17 days, we were able to raise over 45,000RMB, a number many of our students still cannot even imagine!  Our very first fundraiser was more than just a success.  It was a memorable event that has touched and will continue to touch the hearts of many.

When we contacted Pass the Love Charity Foundation, they were so grateful.  As we started planning where the money would be used, the organization challenged us to raise another 35,000RMB in order to build a library for double the amount of children.  They told us a story about a school of 400 children who were promised a library many months ago, but as a result of a donor backing down, these students were now thinking they would not be getting a library at all.  Eagerly, we took on the challenge. With the unbelievable support of our Parent Support Group another 20,000RMB was raised at our Winter Carnival at the start of December.

A few months later, our Student Council got the school involved in a dress down day.  Another 2000RMB was raised as students got to express themselves in their own clothes.  To our excitement, at the start of March, we raised another 5000RMB, which put us over our goal.   A student in Grade 4, Flora Heap, took the initiative to lead a bake sale and raise as much money as she could.  With the help of our Girl Scout and PSG mothers, this student initiated Bake Sale was more than a success!  Students poured into our foyer trying to buy as much as they could.  Many students gave large donations and asked us to keep the change.  Some students got to the table too late and were disappointed to find nothing left, but still donated the money they had.  Our Girl Scout Troops had raised 1500RMB on their own and 2D (one of our Grade 2 PYP classes) raised approximately 300RMB in their unit about communities.  Both groups got together and out of the kindness of their hearts decided that Pass the Love Charity Foundation was where their money would be best used.  A heartwarming 77,000RMB was raised in total.  With a goal of beating 3500RMB, this was more than a dream come true.

In March 2013, 4 teachers along with a special group of 8 students and 8 parents took a long bus ride all the way to Hushan Village in Suichang, Zhejiang Province.  We got our artistic juices flowing and got dirty.  In just three days, we helped build a library for 400 children at Hushan Elementary School.  We painted walls, packaged books, put up decorations, organized resources, and much more.  Together we created a comfortable place for a child, to go on an adventure or solve a mystery.   We built an environment where students will learn, grow and achieve their goals.  We made our own memories that will have lasting effects on children for years to come.

When we first arrived at Hushan Elementary School, there was a clear divide between our school and theirs.  By the end of this trip, that divide was unimaginable.  The children were playing with one another, reading together, making presents for each other, and so much more.  The real gift of building relationships and discovering just how similar we all are was what the students learned.  Everyone got dirty, everyone helped clean up, everyone helped build, everyone participated.  This was a project that brought two schools together and left us feeling like one.

This was a journey that started with the simple act of giving.  To use our knowledge and our resources for the betterment of those around us is what our students are learning and experiencing first hand at SUIS Hongqiao Campus.  Not only do we teach our students to put into action what they are learning, but we provide them with the opportunities to do just that.  This trip has had such strong impacts, not only on our students, but on their parents and families as well.  Some families are already planning to return to the school and volunteer their time this summer.  Other students are eagerly looking into how they could participate in something like this in the near future.  This event ignited the idea that small acts have a very big impact.  To bring 6 grades, 22 classes, and approximately 500 students together for one goal was an experience that cannot be described with words.  We were truly a community.

A special thanks goes to all of the parents, teachers, administrators and most of all students who participated and donated all they could for this project.