eBay Charity Run - Supply Mission to Shangri-la, China

Northern Yunnan, China

• Location: China
• Individual or Group: Group project
• Group Size: 2
• Complexity: Medium
• Funding Level: Medium
• Timing: December 2009

• Village Shangri-la, also known as Zhongdian
• 51 children, between 4 and 16 years old
• For more information: Email the mission supervisor
• Learn about Global Roots Service Corps

Scope

Tendol Gyalzur is a wonderful, selfless woman who built 3 children homes in the Tibetan region. The one we are particularly supporting is in Shangri-la, and hosts around 50 children. As winter approaches, the children are subjected to very extreme temperatures and have no heating. The children home is not yet equipped with heaters, so the children rely on donations to stay warm. Actually, they need everything, from clothing to food, medical coverage, tuition, love and attention.

Tendol is doing her best to raise money when she travels in Europe, but relies heavily on well-wishers.

Shanghai hosts a yearly marathon, and this year , eBay sponsored 150 employees to participate in the race. As part of their participation, they fundraised money for a good cause. The event was known throughout the company as "eBay Charity Run - from the heart, for the heart". The grand prize for the event and fundraising went to Hong Lam , a US eBay employee, who managed to raise more donations than any other employees . Hong's mission was to deliver goods to Tendol's home and take the children shopping for winter clothes , using the money she and her colleagues collected.

For the children of Tendol's house, there is no warm water, gloves, or meat. The paramount goal for Hong's mission was to make sure the children had enough warm, clean clothes for the winter. The mission was a success. The clothes were donated and distributed to the children. As a bonus, the children had the opportunity to choose their clothing for the first time.

Mission results

We purchased shoes, socks, jackets and pants for the 25 girls and 26 boys. The children went shopping and were able to choose the clothing they loved, while remaining functional. We also gave them an opportunity to express themselves artistically. The children created a banner with cutouts of their hands and decorated the artwork with their own drawings.

Schooling equipment donated:

• empty notebooks (30)
• Pen and pencils
• Dell D610 laptops (4)

Note: we are badly in need of chinese speaking volunteers to help give basic training to the children. They really want to learn how to use computers, but they need tuition. Please contact us to apply.

Financials

The funds were raised as part of the Shanghai Marathon, with a team of 150 eBay marathon runners. Many thanks to the eBay team for pulling this off, particularly Hong, Pingping, Chad, Denny, Wilson, Berry, and many more!

Video

This video was produced during the marathon and the supply mission. Please enjoy!

Contributors

Global Roots service corps:

• Hong Lam
• Patrick Firouzian
• Tsebho

A note from Hong:

An umbrella of leaves shielded the marathon runners from the pouring rain. Runners hurdled under trees and tents while waiting for the Greece Marathon to commence its 2499th historical event. The buzzer sounded loudly, followed by thousands of footsteps contributing with their own squishing noises. My shoes were trenched in dirty water, but my body was wrapped warmly in a plastic bag with manmade holes for the arms and neck. The suffocation from wearing the plastic covering for over an hour was soon replaced with excruciating muscle aches in the thighs and calves as I climbed twenty kilometers of gradual inclines. Relief finally arrived at the Panathinaikon Stadium entrance where I caught a glimpse of the finish line. A seventy three year old man, dressed in a Greek soldier uniform with shield and sword, made his final turn around the corner. I glanced at him with great admiration as he made his final step across the finish line a few minutes after I did.

It was not long ago since I finished my first marathon that I found myself waiting with a crowd of runners in the Shanghai Marathon. An air of impatience filled the atmosphere as the clock ticked down to minutes. When the buzzer went off, I jammed through the congestion to cross the start line and zigzag passed the slow runners. The streets were busy with traffic and spectators so I cranked up the music to drown out the noises. My muscles were fueled with energy and propelled my legs forward. After running some distance, my brain signaled for replenishments. I consumed an energy gel and regained strength for twenty three kilometers. Then the temperature declined unexpectedly. Cold chills brushed against my body, causing goose bumps to seep through my skin. Paralyzed by the frigid conditions, I suffered from hunger, thirst, and fatigue. The discomfort prolonged for another hour and finally diminished when I heard the beeping sound of the timing chip on my right shoe and I came to a dead stop.

From wet to cold, I survived the marathons. Now, I stood in the sunlight at a temple in Shangri-la with my eyes closed and three oversized incenses in my hands. I was sent on a supply mission by Global Roots as a reward for being the top fundraiser for the eBay Charity Run. After the temple, I headed to Tendol’s Orphanage to meet fifty amazing children. During my short visit, we created banners of artwork, rehearsed a play, and went shopping for winter clothing. Through these activities, I learned about the children and gained insight about their lives.

The banners were collages of personalized artwork by the children. It provided a medium for them to express themselves by designing their own masterpiece. Many individualized their work by tracing and cutting out their handprints on colorful construction paper, and then gluing them on white ones. Others decorated with their photos and sketched drawings. As I observed them, I was mesmerized by the purity of their hearts reflected in their work and interaction with each other. Colorful pictures of rainbows, trees, flowers, birds, houses, and hearts were splattered everywhere. This was not expected from a group of children who were either abandoned by their parents or lost their parents to sickness. There were no signs of solitude, depression, sadness, anger, abandonment, or violence. On the contrary, the children demonstrated immeasurable amount of sharing and love for one another. They cooperatively used the limited supplies of scissors, glue sticks, markers, and colored pencils. The older ones assisted the younger ones in drawing, cutting, and gluing.

As an individual, each child is an orphan. As a whole, they are a family. They treat each other like sisters and brothers. The children have a special bond that I cannot accurately describe in words. It was in the way the older girls helped the younger ones get ready for shopping by combing their hair and tying them in ponytails. It was in the way they held their little hands as they crossed the street. It was in the way the boys wrapped their arms around each other’s shoulders when I snapped photos of them. I sensed it when one of the boys lifted a little girl up in the air so she could fly. I saw it when four girls tangled their legs together, skipped in a circle, and laughed playfully. These were images of children who, although not rich in materials, had hearts of gold. I was astonished by their unlimited capacity to love and live wholeheartedly.

One year ago, I took on the challenge to run the Greece Marathon as a charitable event. I wanted to give something back to the world in memory of my grandmother. I traveled across the world to run two marathons and accomplish a good deed. I didn’t think anything could be more memorable. I was wrong. An unexpected thing happened during my journey. For years, I had allowed stress and unhappiness to consume my life that I had forgotten how to live freely and joyfully. The children at Tendol’s Orphanage reminded me of that. They didn’t have much, but they had happiness and love. I had everything that money could buy, but I was miserable. What I discovered was that I felt rejuvenated and exuberant from bringing joy to other people. It was in Shangri-la, at the orphanage playing and working with the children, where I experienced inner peace in mind and soul.

Project Director:

• Rick Montgomery

Project managers and lead volunteers:

• Patrick Firouzian
• Tsebho

Content advisors:

• Rick Montgomery
• Hong Lam

Camera and editing:

• Patrick Firouzian (http://www.picto.asia)

Next and opportunities

This is a first step in this community.

• Teaching English, through teaching short plays, poems, riddles, classic texts, songs.
• Teaching foreign culture, and how to understand other cultures.
• Teaching computer usage, IT

Please email Rick if you are interested in helping Chinese children: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

More pictures of the mission here.