Expats

A passion for compassion

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-27 10:45

Megan Singh, a 16-year-old Canadian schoolgirl studying at Western Academy of Beijing, shares with METRO reporter Wang Ru about why and how she works with the Roundabout charity shop to raise money to buy a minibus for children with mephibosheth, a debilitating children's illness.

What's your chosen cause?

The charity that I helped is called House of Mephibosheth. They are building a village as a long-term residence for disabled children.

What's the role of Roundabout?

Roundabout was like a charity matchmaker as they connected me with the House of Mephibosheth. I went to Roundabout saying that I wanted to help with a few fundraisers and buy something with the money to give to a charity. Roundabout founder Leslie Simpson told me of a few different charities I could help by buying boilers or air conditioning systems, or I could pay for some children to go to school.

Why did you decide to get involved?

I wanted to help someone in Beijing where I have spent almost two years. Once Leslie told me about what would happen to these children without House of Mephibosheth, and about what conditions they were in before House of Mephibosheth came and got them, I knew I wanted to help them.

While I saw the children in wheelchairs smiling like angels, I knew they could live better. With the bus, the house can take the children outside for having fun, medical care and pick up more disabled children from various orphanages.

How has the fundraising gone?

I chose to fundraise through two events: a pancake breakfast while showing a live hockey game played in Canada and a golf tournament and dinner.

Many people came out to eat pancakes and watch the hockey game at the Canadian Embassy where my father works. The golf tournament was also a success. There weren't as many players as I had hoped for, but it went very smoothly.

I invited a few professional golfers because I knew they'd be in the area for the Shanghai Classic that was the day after my tournament.

I invited Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus through their e-mails. Finally, I got a signed hat and T-shirt from Jack Nicklaus and gave them away at the dinner party as one of the prizes for donors.

To date I have raised a total of 70,000 yuan. I have enough to buy a minibus, but I want to buy a wheelchair accessible one.

I have found a really nice new bus and the owner is willing to sell to me for 140,000 yuan. I hope to buy it soon.