A Small act of kindness to build a better world

Life is an unbelievable journey,

Life is a box of chocolates,

Dream hard enough, and your dreams become true,

We all know or heard these quotes one time or another in our lifetime.

But they are true! I never in my life would imagine that I would be intensively involved with a charity or be a founder of it. Life can be unpredictable, and so can your emotion and decision once you see the light in doing something good for society and community. I did not mean it that dramatically, but I admit it is an enormous change in my life.

You do not have to be a Saint or start to change your whole life. Charity is sometimes misconceived and associated with religion or money.

Do not let this fool you!

Charity is just a feeling of compassion that comes from your heart to help others. You do not have to be perfect or have a great personality. Although, it can help you to build the image of your charity. In the end, people like to follow when you are a warm, gentle and kind person.

It is important what kind of name you choose for your organization. If it is related to the place you are staying, then this can have a profound positive impact on the people. Maybe people from another country will not feel any affiliation with it or even judge you, ending up in a controversial discussion, but that is not important because you are not doing it for them but for those you want to help. That is the purpose of a charity.?

On Saturday, April 25th, 2015,

An earthquake in Nepal, east of Gorkha District, killed nearly 9,000 people and injured almost 22,000. Hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless, and whole villages were leveled across many districts of the country. In the following hours and days, worldwide aid was offered to the country and its population. Rescue and medical teams were sent to the afflicted area with medical supplies, food, water, and other life-saving items. Donations were gathered in many countries of the world to send to Nepal. The humanitarian response was tremendous!

On the evening of Wednesday, April 29th, 2015,

I asked myself why we are often wake up to help others only in the wake of a disaster. At that moment, it struck me to do something good, pure, and simple for the people in the country and city that I was living in: Shenzhen, China. I quickly created a group on WeChat, the largest Chinese social media platform, to gather like-minded people who want to give back to their community. That decision took me on a different path in my life. Although I do not want to dive too deeply into the story about my charity, it is also good to know what forces can drive you to get started with charity.

Our organization has grown into an international charity volunteer group, with members from over 50 different countries, that helps the poor, the elderly, autistic and disabled children, orphans, and the helpless in China who need aid and affection. The idea was to donate our time through volunteer work and provide warmth, love, and appreciation to those in need.

A Heart For China, our organization, was officially founded on May 5th, 2015, has since organized over 160 volunteer events and more than 80 other activities. Nearly every weekend, our volunteers visit rehabilitation centers for special-needs children and nursing homes for the elderly to accompany them, chat, play games, and organize fun performances. When possible, we offer ideas for improvements to the centers and provide essential daily items or donations.?

It sounds all so easy if you hear it, but it was not. It takes quite some commitment and persistence to hold on to your quest, because that is what it is, a quest!

Building a charity community is a difficult task, but not an impossible one. To have a long-term vision and realize that vision is a hard road of compromises and sacrifices. Everything is in the best interest of the organization. Along the way, which you mostly walk alone, you find yourself both appreciated and not. I know that we can’t change everyone’s heart or make them care for others, but I believe that it is worth the effort to find those who do care and inspire as many of them as possible.?

A Heart For China has transformed me in ways that are hard to express. It also made me realize that you can make anything happen if you believe in yourself, and all because of a simple word: persistence. Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Persistence and determination alone are all-powerful.?The greatest discovery of our time is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind.

The founder of a charity is a dreamer. He dreams of a better future for others without thinking of his own. Every morning he wakes up, and he looks at the world, the people, and he says to himself: “Today is another day to care for others, another step towards making this a better place for them.” He knows every day is a struggle, a fight, but he fully believes in his dream and keeps pushing forward. Nothing ever comes easy in life.

Charity is not about one person or a small group of people, but about every single person who supports us and believes in their heart of hearts that change in this world is possible if we truly put our minds to it and put words into action. It is a team effort! In all these years, I’ve seen a lot of progress in this organization, and I foresee many more great things for our future.

Our Power

Our power lies in the simplicity and purity of what we do, and we keep walking that same road because this is who we are: an organization of Chinese and foreigners, of people from every race, religion, and creed, whom every week set out to share our hearts with orphans, disabled children and the elderly.

We are only a whisper in a world that shouts, but I, the people who believe it, have hope in their heart as in life we all desire inner peace, a warm family, and a feeling to do something good for others.??

Many people say that I am a philanthropist, but what does it mean?

A philanthropist is a person who donates time, money, experience, skills, or talent to help create a better world. And from this perspective, anyone can be a philanthropist, making a lasting positive impact on the community regardless of your status, age, rich or poor.

Everyone with a willing heart can do small acts of kindness, also you, and you can start with it today!