Translated by H.B. Qin Edited by Ida Eva Zielinska
On May 26, 2025, Tzu Chi Youth Group volunteers gathered early in the morning at Tzu Chi USA’s Portland Service Center and traveled in six cars for over three and a half hours to reach the Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District in Blue River, Lane County, Oregon. There, the high school students delivered 16 care packages to volunteer firefighters who had lost their homes during the devastating Holiday Farm Fire five years ago but have continued to serve their community with unwavering dedication.
This meaningful act of giving mobilized 35 participants, including members of the Tzu Chi Youth Group in Portland, their parents, and Tzu Chi volunteers. Each care package contained Jing Si blessing items, snacks, keepsake mascots, and Tzu Chi literature, all lovingly prepared and packed by the students over several weeks. Their effort served as a heartfelt tribute to the resilience and sacrifice of these community protectors.
A Devastating 2020 Wildfire Disaster
On September 7, 2020 – Labor Day in the United States – the Holiday Farm Fire erupted in Lane County, Oregon, ultimately consuming over 170,000 acres and leaving hundreds of residents homeless. It was one of the most destructive wildfires in the state’s history. However, it was not the only blaze that devastated Oregon that fall. Fueled by high winds and dry conditions, multiple wildfires ignited across the state around the same time, overwhelming both communities and emergency responders.
In the immediate aftermath of the wildfires, Tzu Chi volunteers swiftly launched emergency relief efforts. On October 31, they organized a distribution in Jackson County. When two disaster survivors were unable to attend the event in Medford, a town in that county, due to the distance, the volunteers upheld a core principle: “If those who suffer cannot come, those with the means must go to them.”
The very next day, November 1, with support from a Tzu Chi Seattle team, Portland volunteers drove two and a half hours north to Springfield, in Lane County, for an urgent distribution. It was there that they met Christianna Rainbow Plews, fire chief of the Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District, whom they fondly dubbed “Fire Chief Rainbow.”
Plews leads a team of 18 volunteer firefighters. Eight of them, including herself, lost their homes in the Holiday Farm Fire. Despite this devastation and the emotional toll, they remained on the front lines to safeguard their community.
Although everyone on the team lived in a remote disaster area, they had never actively sought assistance. Plews shared that for many of them, accepting help was extremely difficult; they had always been the ones quietly serving others, never imagining they might one day be on the receiving end of aid themselves. Still, learning from a fellow firefighter that Tzu Chi might be able to assist the team, she decided to submit an application.
Tzu Chi volunteers understood this mindset of “not wanting to trouble others,” and approached the firefighters with gentleness and respect, emphasizing gratitude for the opportunity to provide aid rather than insisting on giving. Eleven finally agreed to receive the help provided through cash cards.
Tzu Chi's cash card is like rain in the time of fires. Though the cards will eventually lose their value, the spirit of the bamboo bank, the daily vow to make a difference, is an endless source of strength.
When Tzu Chi volunteers shared the spirit behind Tzu Chi’s bamboo bank, encouraging people to save 50 cents a day and make a vow to do good deeds daily, rather than donating 15 dollars once a month with little thought, Fire Chief Plews was moved to tears. She was deeply touched by the persistence and intention behind these daily acts of kindness, no matter how small they might seem. At the same time, she reflected on how something just as small, a single spark, could destroy so many homes and lives. That contrast made the steady power of compassion and benevolence all the more profound in her eyes.
Accompanied by Plews, Tzu Chi volunteers visited disaster-stricken areas in mid-November 2020. The fire had reduced large parts of this mountainous community to ashes, and many volunteer firefighters had lost their homes. As they drove along the road, Plews pointed to the familiar landscape and ruins, saying, “This used to be the home of a volunteer firefighter. Further ahead, that was someone’s backyard…”
Along the way, no houses remained, only some chimneys still stood on the charred ground, silent sentinels guarding memories of the past. This somber yet meaningful journey helped the volunteers grasp the full scale of the destruction and reaffirmed that kindness and human connection are the most vital forces in the long road to recovery.
A Field Day of Gratitude and Insight Into Firefighters’ Lives
Five years later, Tzu Chi had not forgotten the Upper McKenzie Fire Protection District community and the wildfire disaster it had endured in the fall of 2020. On May 26, 2025, a team of 35 Tzu Chi Youth Group members and their parents, along with Tzu Chi volunteers, arrived in Blue River to deliver care packages and Jing Si Aphorism cards prepared by the students, expressing heartfelt respect and appreciation for the volunteer firefighters serving in the area.
The firefighters were very happy to receive the care packages. Your group is very special. You are welcome back anytime.
In return, the volunteer firefighters enthusiastically prepared a field firefighting experience course for the Tzu Chi Youth Group volunteers. The students had the opportunity to operate fire truck equipment, learn how to use smart CPR devices and fire-resistant materials, and even put on a full set of firefighting gear weighing over 45 pounds to simulate a mountain rescue mission. Through sweat and awe, the students gained firsthand insight into the hardships, responsibilities, and selflessness of the firefighters’ work, feeling their dedication to safeguarding lives with each training exercise.
Tzu Chi Youth Group volunteers experience the challenge of carrying approximately 45 to 75 pounds of firefighting gear. Firefighters may bear this load while hiking mountain trails for over eight hours to reach a rescue site. Photos/Minru Chao
From Scenic Memories to Compassionate Action
David Ho, father of one of the Tzu Chi Youth Group volunteers on the trip to the Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District, shared that for years, central Oregon had been his family’s favorite destination for short getaways. He recalled fond memories of walking along the McKenzie River waterfalls and connecting with nature.
Alas, in 2020, the Holiday Farm Fire devastated the riverside town of Blue River, reducing the peaceful community to ashes. Years later, upon learning that Tzu Chi had continued supporting the local volunteer firefighters, he was inspired to return to the area. “This time, I want to bring my child back to that familiar riverbank and respond to our memories through action.”
The entire Ho family and the Tzu Chi Youth Group volunteer team worked together to prepare 16 care packages and set out during the long weekend. On the afternoon of May 26, they arrived at the newly built fire station and were warmly received by Fire Chief Christianna Rainbow Plews.
After the students had handed over the care packages, they participated in the field firefighting experience course offered by the district’s volunteer firefighters. “The chief herself has a nursing background and provided us with a very detailed guided tour and description. From the fire truck and the ambulance to various emergency and fire prevention equipment, including the use of drones to locate hot spots in fire scenes, she explained everything in great detail,” Ho recalled.
At first, he worried the packed schedule might leave no time to stop at the waterfalls on the way home. But as he watched the Tzu Chi Youth Group teens engage enthusiastically with the firefighters and saw the warm smiles on the firefighters’ faces, any lingering regret gave way to a deep sense of fulfillment.
The waterfall will always be there, but such profound connections between people are not something one encounters on every journey. What the children learned here far exceeds the knowledge in textbooks. It was a real-life experience about life, empathy, gratitude, and action.
Through David Ho’s reflection, the deeper meaning of the day became clear. The students didn’t just come to give: they came to understand, connect, and express heartfelt gratitude. And in doing so, they offered a warmth that touched the firefighters and illuminated the bonds that can form between strangers through shared humanity.
The Indestructible Power of Love
“Although this was my first time visiting a place devastated by fire, I saw the community residents striving to rebuild, allowing us to witness how nature gradually heals,” Tzu Chi Youth Group volunteer Pingjui Tsai reflected. “I am deeply grateful for the efforts of these volunteer firefighters and for the opportunity to learn from them.”
The event was the first in-depth disaster relief activity that Tzu Chi Youth Group volunteer Chieh Chien had participated in. Personally delivering blessings to volunteer firefighters who had experienced the wildfire, she was deeply moved and humbled. “During this event, we gained a deeper understanding of firefighters’ work, daily responsibilities, and various rescue equipment, such as a CPR device and self-contained breathing apparatus,” she said.
During the visit, Chien also put on the heavy firefighting gear and felt the physical strain of carrying over 45 pounds of equipment. Beyond this hands-on experience, she gained insight into how firefighters integrate service into their lives. “Some firefighters are volunteers, while others are college students who use their summer break to engage in disaster relief,” she shared. “I asked one firefighter how she balances her studies with firefighting. She said it’s challenging, but it’s something she loves to do.”
This was the most unforgettable Tzu Chi Youth Group volunteer event I have ever participated in. I felt the perseverance and selflessness in the volunteer firefighters.
At the end of the event, the Tzu Chi group and volunteer firefighters gathered for a photo in front of a phoenix sculpture forged from fire-melted metal sheets, a powerful symbol of the community’s artistic response to disaster and its spirit of rebirth. Behind the sculpture rose the newly rebuilt fire station. In front were the Tzu Chi Youth Group volunteers and their parents, Tzu Chi volunteers, and the district’s volunteer firefighters. In that moment, as they came together before the phoenix, it felt as if everyone had undergone a quiet spiritual transformation through the journey they had shared.
From the emergency relief efforts in 2020 to the return visit in 2025, Tzu Chi’s Portland Service Center has carried forward its mission of compassion through sustained action. More than an act of charity, this journey to deliver care packages became a profound life lesson. It offered Tzu Chi Youth Group volunteers the chance to grow through giving and witness, firsthand, how a resilient community and its firefighting heroes rose from the ashes, their spirit of service and compassion unshaken.
