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Mother and daughter show true gratitude with charity donation
July 27, 2009, Monday
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VOLUNTEERS at Li Qun Sunshine charity are busy taking phone calls from potential donors.
It appears to be just another routine day until someone gets a call from Zhang Zhiqin. Zhang is not your average donor as she has a special place in her heart for Li Qun Sunshine.
In 2006, Zhang's daughter received funds from Li Qun to continue her education. So Zhang, a small cell phone store owner, wanted to return the kindness shown to her daughter Wang Weilu and donated 10,000 yuan (US$1,464) to the charity organization.
"I will always remember what they did and I will always be grateful," Zhang says, with tears in her eyes. "I was having the most difficult time. I couldn't believe my daughter was selected by the charity only three days after we asked for help. I am always deeply moved by these kind-hearted people who donate money to poor students."
The family, living in Hangzhou's Xiaoshan District, has dealt with hardship almost from the beginning. Zhang's husband died young in 1992 when their daughter was only four years old. The family was very poor as Zhang earned a living by working as a salesperson in a cell phone store. She earned 600 yuan (US$88) per month, most of which was spent on her daughter's education.
The girl studied diligently over the years and was admitted to Xi'an Foreign Language University in the summer of 2006. Zhang was happy and proud of her daughter, but also deeply worried about the high tuition.
"I was so anxious about the cost," Zhang says, tears welling up in her eyes again. "My boss suggested I call Li Qun Sunshine after reading about it in a newspaper. He said they might be able to help."
Zhang wasn't convinced and although they were poor, she had never considered asking for help because it was too "embarrassing."
After refusing to call for a long time, she eventually dialed the hotline when she was badly in need of money.
The charity called her back three days later and said they were willing to help.
"The money really helped me out," Zhang says.
After receiving the donation, Zhang decided to try and earn more money for Wang's education. She opened her own cell phone store, taking out a mortgage on her apartment, which was a big risk because if she failed to make the loan payments she would lose their home.
The risk was magnified by the fact that she had no experience in running a business. Zhang says it was tough starting out.
In 2007, before the Chinese Lunar New Year, she and her daughter distributed thousands of leaflets promoting the store.
"After the store opened, I cried many times due to the pain and suffering," she says.
With the loan terms requiring repayment within one year, Zhang worked as hard as she could and pinched her pennies whenever possible.
Business picked up and Zhang repaid the loan. And now that her life is better than before, Zhang says she has always wanted to "return" the money donated by Li Qun Sunshine, even though there was no obligation to return it.
"I always thought of the money as 'borrowed.' But I never thought that I would be able to pay back the money as I earned only 600 yuan every month at that time," Zhang says.
She donated 10,000 yuan to Li Qun, which is enough to help two students.
Her daughter, who is now an exchange student in Japan, was supportive of the idea.
When talking about Zhang, Wang says her mother's smile influenced her the most.
"We were happy though we were poor," Wang says.
Zhang never complains about anything though she has had a tough time. She talks with sincere gratitude about the people who helped her daughter.
Wang plans to return to China during her summer vacation and give free lessons to children who want to study Japanese.
She says her mother donated the money because she didn't want others to suffer like they did.
"My mother is great," saysthe daughter.
It appears to be just another routine day until someone gets a call from Zhang Zhiqin. Zhang is not your average donor as she has a special place in her heart for Li Qun Sunshine.
In 2006, Zhang's daughter received funds from Li Qun to continue her education. So Zhang, a small cell phone store owner, wanted to return the kindness shown to her daughter Wang Weilu and donated 10,000 yuan (US$1,464) to the charity organization.
"I will always remember what they did and I will always be grateful," Zhang says, with tears in her eyes. "I was having the most difficult time. I couldn't believe my daughter was selected by the charity only three days after we asked for help. I am always deeply moved by these kind-hearted people who donate money to poor students."
The family, living in Hangzhou's Xiaoshan District, has dealt with hardship almost from the beginning. Zhang's husband died young in 1992 when their daughter was only four years old. The family was very poor as Zhang earned a living by working as a salesperson in a cell phone store. She earned 600 yuan (US$88) per month, most of which was spent on her daughter's education.
The girl studied diligently over the years and was admitted to Xi'an Foreign Language University in the summer of 2006. Zhang was happy and proud of her daughter, but also deeply worried about the high tuition.
"I was so anxious about the cost," Zhang says, tears welling up in her eyes again. "My boss suggested I call Li Qun Sunshine after reading about it in a newspaper. He said they might be able to help."
Zhang wasn't convinced and although they were poor, she had never considered asking for help because it was too "embarrassing."
After refusing to call for a long time, she eventually dialed the hotline when she was badly in need of money.
The charity called her back three days later and said they were willing to help.
"The money really helped me out," Zhang says.
After receiving the donation, Zhang decided to try and earn more money for Wang's education. She opened her own cell phone store, taking out a mortgage on her apartment, which was a big risk because if she failed to make the loan payments she would lose their home.
The risk was magnified by the fact that she had no experience in running a business. Zhang says it was tough starting out.
In 2007, before the Chinese Lunar New Year, she and her daughter distributed thousands of leaflets promoting the store.
"After the store opened, I cried many times due to the pain and suffering," she says.
With the loan terms requiring repayment within one year, Zhang worked as hard as she could and pinched her pennies whenever possible.
Business picked up and Zhang repaid the loan. And now that her life is better than before, Zhang says she has always wanted to "return" the money donated by Li Qun Sunshine, even though there was no obligation to return it.
"I always thought of the money as 'borrowed.' But I never thought that I would be able to pay back the money as I earned only 600 yuan every month at that time," Zhang says.
She donated 10,000 yuan to Li Qun, which is enough to help two students.
Her daughter, who is now an exchange student in Japan, was supportive of the idea.
When talking about Zhang, Wang says her mother's smile influenced her the most.
"We were happy though we were poor," Wang says.
Zhang never complains about anything though she has had a tough time. She talks with sincere gratitude about the people who helped her daughter.
Wang plans to return to China during her summer vacation and give free lessons to children who want to study Japanese.
She says her mother donated the money because she didn't want others to suffer like they did.
"My mother is great," saysthe daughter.
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