[Global Connection] Little Cotton Jacket, Big WarmthAuthor: JEFFI CHAO HUI WU Time: 2025-7-11 Friday, 3:44 AM ········································ [Global Connection] Little Cotton Jacket, Big Warmth Shenzhen is a modern city, and it is also a warm city. In this city, there is a group of people who do not belong to the same school, the same grade, or even know each other well, yet they come together because of "love" and "responsibility." They formed a special organization called the "Shenzhen Five Schools Care and Mutual Assistance Alliance." This alliance has no office and no employees. Their "meeting room" is in a WeChat group, and the "executive body" is composed of dozens of volunteers who have come together spontaneously. Since its establishment, this alliance has conducted over a hundred charitable activities, visiting sick classmates, comforting the families of teachers, organizing fundraising and charity sales, and even using their own time and resources to send winter coats and warm backpacks to children in remote areas. Among them, there is a project that has lasted for three years, called "Little Cotton Jacket, Big Warmth." Time goes back to 2014. That year, Ludian County in Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province, was struck by a sudden 6.5 magnitude earthquake, resulting in landslides, collapsed buildings, and destroyed schools. The epicenter, Longtoushan Town, was almost leveled, with heavy casualties. Many children lost their loved ones and homes in the ruins, and even temporarily interrupted their studies. Although many years have passed since the earthquake, the scars have not faded. Post-disaster reconstruction is not only about rebuilding houses, but more importantly, about healing hearts, especially for children living in high-altitude mountainous areas with economically disadvantaged families. Against this backdrop, the Shenzhen Five Schools Care and Mutual Assistance Alliance has decided — we cannot just offer verbal condolences, but must take concrete actions. Thus, the "Little Cotton-Padded Jacket · Great Warmth" initiative was officially launched. In the first year, the volunteers raised funds, contacted suppliers, and repeatedly calculated transportation costs, ultimately purchasing a batch of high-quality new cotton jackets to send to several severely affected primary schools in Ludian County, Yunnan. On winter mornings, the children put on these bright red new jackets, their faces beaming with radiant smiles. That scene is deeply etched in the hearts of every volunteer. They did not stop. In the second year, it is still this group of people, still that piece of land. They prepared brand new clothes and school supplies for another group of children in the mountains, and even sent specially customized backpacks for the kids. In front of the school, a bright red banner read: "Little Cotton Jacket, Big Warmth." It was not just a slogan, but a promise, a companionship. By the third year, the actions had gradually become institutionalized. Some were responsible for contacting donor organizations, some for coordinating with schools, some for inventorying supplies and accompanying the delivery, while others quietly took on all accounting and public disclosure responsibilities behind the scenes, ensuring that "every penny is accounted for and every piece of clothing is delivered properly." In December 2023, the third year's initiative was completed as scheduled, and the children received warm new cotton clothes once again, their smiles revealing a hint of a newfound sense of security. Three years, three winters, three groups of children. This project has not only helped hundreds of children in the mountainous areas of Yunnan, but has also planted a seed in the hearts of the children called "being loved." Many teachers wrote in their thank-you letters: "The children received their cotton jackets for the first time and were reluctant to wear them, hugging them and sleeping with them all night." "They said to study hard and, in the future, to help others like uncles and aunts do." After each action is completed, a formal donation certificate will be received from the local schools in Yunnan, stamped with the red seal of the education bureau and the school, stating: "Thank you for bringing warmth and care. Your kindness has sown a seed of 'love' for the children." That certificate is not a recognition, but a call, a relay of responsibility. In these three years of the "Cotton Jacket Action," some are initiators, some are coordinators, some are donors, and some simply quietly share it once in their social circles or make a small transfer on their bills. It is the convergence of countless "me"s that has created this seemingly small yet enduring "miracle of warmth" lasting three years. Next year, perhaps we will go again, Perhaps, more people will join, and more children will benefit. Because this winter is very cold, but as long as we are together, we are not afraid of the cold. ——This is the true meaning of "little cotton-padded jacket, great warmth"! My old classmate Mr. Ou Haibin is a key member of this alliance. Over the past few years, he has shared with me many true stories of their commitment to public welfare and their silent contributions. Every time I listen, I am deeply moved and filled with admiration. The initiator of the "Little Cotton Jacket · Great Warmth" campaign is Zhang Daojing (online name: Zhu Yun Lan Xin), an international volunteer who has dedicated over twenty years to public welfare, always contributing silently. From early donations and visits to overseas Chinese children in Vietnam and Thailand, to educational assistance projects in remote areas such as Xinjiang, Tibet, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan; from personally engaging in continuous 13-year educational support in the Ludian earthquake disaster area, to participating multiple times in emergency rescue at earthquake sites, and becoming one of the first volunteers in the fight against the pandemic at its onset, Zhang Daojing has measured the breadth of charity with her footsteps and interpreted "great love knows no boundaries" through her actions. In 2017, she donated to build the Xinfeng Hope Primary School in Jiangxi, actively promoting educational equity. Her low-key and warm presence is the most authentic annotation of the "Little Cotton Jacket · Great Warmth" campaign, and it is this long-term persistence that has moved countless volunteers at home and abroad to join, making this initiative, which originated from a group of alumni from five schools in Shenzhen, truly a model of international mutual care and support that transcends borders and warms hearts. I am not the initiator, nor have I ever been to the disaster area in Yunnan, and I did not help distribute cotton clothes at the event site. However, starting from April 2024, although I will be overseas and unable to participate in actual actions, I can only contribute in ways within my capacity—just donating a fixed amount of activity funds each month is also a gesture of goodwill and can be considered as being part of the journey. Because I have always believed: Some are running on the front lines, while others are supporting from behind the scenes. Every act of love is a piece that makes up the "warmth." Source: https://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=696802 |