As a Kindermusik educator, I am blessed with the ability to come in contact with educators from literally around the world. At my very first Kindermusik convention in July, 2005, in Nashville, Tennessee, I made a very good friend from Malaysia. We have corresponded frequently since then and I hope to see her in person again one day at another convention.
I have also met, via our online group at Yahoogroups, Sarah Peel Li, a Kindermusik educator in Beijing, China. We have participated together in continuing education webinars hosted and sponsored by Kindermusik International. I greatly enjoy her expertise as an educator as well as her humor.
This morning, as I skimmed through the group’s posts, I read a new one from Sarah that put the China earthquake into a much more personal perspective. I am reproducing it here. If you feel led to participate, please do so. The need is incredible.
From Sarah Peel Li, Beijing, China:
As most of you are probably already aware there was a massive earthquake in the Sichuan region of China on Monday. It is a tragedy and many thousands of people have lost their lives. Those that survived in the hardest hit areas often have nothing, and the conditions are extremely difficult.
Kara Waddell, a Kindermusik parent here in Beijing, leads the NGO Operation Blessing here in China. She is now in Chengdu to coordinate relief efforts, and I hope our community of families and schools will be able to support the work she and her team are doing to assist children in the quake affected areas. Operation Blessing is partners with the China Charity Federation and China Foundation for collecting funds legally in China and for coordinating disaster relief activities. Collection of needed goods is also normal for this type of disaster, and Operation Blessing will be making arrangements for this type of aid to be sent in the coming days from partners here in Beijing.
As Kara put it in an e-mail I received, relief experts are right – give to whoever you trust, but cash in response scenarios really, really helps. If you would like to give, I know that supporting Operation Blessing’s work will make sure your funds reach those who need it most. They are extremely professional and have experience working with community partners in the hardest hit areas of Sichuan. They are coordinating their work with the Red Cross and the China Social Work Association.
