Tzu Chi New York Celebrates 25th Birthday

National Headquarters | May 5, 2016

The film begins with a testimonial from Chen Su Ying Yang, who acted on Master Cheng Yen’s wish that Tzu Chi should be established in New York, then introduces other founding members including A Mei Guo, who remembers how each coin collected for disaster relief was cherished; Yu Lan Du, who used her Apollo Bakery to spread the dharma thru Jing Si Aphorisms; Yan Gang Yang, who knows how Tzu Chi is a great place to improve yourself; Ying Yun Chen, who kept perfect track of the donations she received from businesses with drawings since she didn’t know how to write; Bi Lian Guo, who recognized early on how sign language performances have the power to move the heart; and Jing Shun Yang, who made it his mission to refurbish old donated clothes so they would be a joy to receive for those in need.

The presence of five of these original founding members on stage after the film was a precious moment for an audience that included 250 volunteers inspired by their example here in New York City.

George Chang, Executive Director of Tzu Chi USA’s Northeast Region, then took the stage to share a bit of his story, which includes 15 years of volunteering, but more importantly, to read a letter addressed to this assembly from Master Cheng Yen. In it, she showed her appreciation for the devoted service of Tzu Chi New York volunteers over the past 25 years, but also pointed out that while at the beginning, volunteers were eager to serve their communities as opportunities arose: Today, with climate change and an increasing number of natural disasters, countless people urgently need their help repeatedly. Global warming is progressing rapidly, and to save our world, we need everyone to recognize the urgency of what is unfolding and to work together. She also added that the terrorist attacks we are seeing around the world one after another are perhaps even worse than natural disasters.

Saving the world has to start with saving people’s hearts: Only when our hearts are pure and clean, can we truly undertake good deeds to serve humanity and contribute towards the achievement of world peace.

I have to say I have seen a lot of people, but I have never seen the level of care and compassion that I have seen from the Tzu Chi volunteers.

Tzu Chi was out there, literally handing out cash, to people badly in need of cash. I remember seeing so many of the people waiting in line who could not believe it. So I told all the people waiting in the line, ‘They don't want anything in return. Except maybe a hug. Say thank you and give them a hug.’ I count myself as fortunate because I saw Tzu Chi in action right here in New York. I can only imagine what they have done in so many parts of the world.

What followed was one of Tzu Chi’s signature performances, “Embrace Us All”, where volunteers and doctors use symbolic actions and sign language to convey a universal message of coming to the rescue of people affected by a disaster, while images from real disaster relief missions play in the background. As we saw the procession follow Tzu Chi flags at the end of the performance, the ship in the center of their logo made perfect sense, revealing how Tzu Chi steers a ship of compassion, offering a vessel of refuge to save all beings from suffering.

Rebecca Lozado, the Principal of PS 201 pointed out that 89% of the kids in the school are considered to come from impoverished families, and need financial, emotional, and social support. She stated that because of the presence of Tzu Chi volunteers at the school on a regular basis, the community is changing, because they see how volunteers “want to give not because they’re going to get something back, but because they know that if they plant the seeds of love and hope and kindness and gentleness and all those wonderful virtues, it’s going to grow, and we are really investing in the future of our children.”

And then it was time for Tzu Chi New York to receive awards in recognition of its 25 years of devoted service.

New York State Senator Toby Stavisky gave a “Proclamation” from the New York Senate honoring Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation and Tzu Chi New York. She pointed out that the parallel between the motto of the State of New York – Excelsior, widely translated from Latin as “onward and upward” – found a fitting echo in “Onward”, Tzu Chi New York’s choice of name for their 25th anniversary event.

And the New York Blood Center presented a Gold Award.

After these honors were awarded, another film about Tzu Chi New York’s partnerships followed, and we heard more testimonials about how volunteers are making a difference in the lives of people in the New York area, including residents in nursing homes such as the Harbor Terrace Adult Home and Assisted Living, where volunteers have been providing free haircuts every 3 months for the past 25 years; Maryknoll Sisters of Saint Dominic, where monthly visits and holiday celebration performances over 16 years continue to bring joy, including the presence of kids who come to visit the elderly; and Union Plaza Care Center, where over the past 10 years, the arrival of Tzu Chi New York volunteers is a cherished blessing:

The minute they walk onto the unit, everyone has a sense of there being sunshine on the darkest winter’s day.

Adina Pelman, Administrator

This last blood drive, we were able to celebrate our 5,500th blood donation through the Tzu Chi organization!

Tina Kovolisky, Assistant Manager Donor Recruitment, New York Blood Center, Long Island Blood Service

To end the celebrations, Tzu Chi New York also chose to present awards in appreciation of the collaborations which have been forged. Awards went to the Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia University; the Chinese American Independent Practice Association; the American Red Cross, Greater New York; and the National Kidney Foundation. Individual service awards were also given to Dr. Tso Long Hsu; Tian Yin Ma; Lily Shao; Yu Gui Wu, You Qin Yuan, and Jian Bi Xia; Zhao Lin Ding; Dr. Henry Ting; and Dr. Richard Hwang.