Dear Family, Friends, Acquaintances, Friends of Friends, Fellow Do-Gooders, and Caring Persons,
As some of you may or may not know, during my time as a Peace Corps volunteer in China, I have had the blessing of being introduced to a special home for orphans with special needs, ages sixteen and older.
In my community, there are a great number of children with special needs placed in orphanages. Unfortunately, at the age of 16, children must leave the orphanage in order to keep numbers sustainable, and children with special needs are sent to a retirement home (Welfare Home), where they then spend the rest of their lives in a cement ward.
Since last fall, I have been going to this Welfare Home and working with about 20 ladies with varying forms of disabilities (ages 16-60+ who have/will spend their entire lives here). After recruiting local Chinese and foreign volunteers, we have had the pleasure of watching these ladies' lives transform. On a weekly basis, we bring varying activities to help stimulate the ladies' interests, providing them with physical, occupational and recreational therapy. We would like to take this project a step further, however, and therefore we are asking for your assistance.
It is our hope to organize a remodeling project for these ladies, by these ladies. First, I will train local Chinese volunteers (mostly university students majoring in education) in methods of implementing independent-living training, and then, with volunteers' assistance, these ladies will, as independently as possible, remodel their ward into a beautiful, expressive mural. By learning a skill (how to paint), quality of life will improve for these ladies, as they will have a more visually attractive place to live, a sense of accomplishment and pride in a final project that they will always be able to remember. Furthermore, this project will raise awareness within the community, which otherwise lacks exposure to and knowledge of individuals with special needs. At the same time, college students will learn about volunteerism, about special education, and apply what they learn by participating in this project.
We are asking for a grand total of $611 for this project. Funds will go towards purchasing paint (primer and mural paint), painting supplies (brushes, pans), and a small amount will go towards purchasing food and beverages so that we can have a celebratory party for the ladies and volunteers after the completed project. The cost of transportation and any other additional costs needed will be paid for by the community and myself. If you feel it in your heart to contribute to this project, we ask that you make a donation of any amount to the Peace Corps website (https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=366-020). This is an official, government sponsored project, and so all donations are tax-deductible. I also encourage you to please forward this message on to anyone you know, especially those who have a heart or passion for this kind of work.
Please help us bring joy and meaning to the lives of these beautiful people!
Sincerely,
Valerie Flynn
(AKA: Fei Fei)
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=366-020
P.S. Because of the sensitivity of this subject and the host country, please remember when commenting, emailing or messaging about this to be language-sensitive. We are not here to judge or make negative comments, we ONLY want to help. Thank you so much for complying and for your wonderful help!
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead
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