On 20 April, 2013, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Lushan County of Ya’an City in the Sichuan Province of southwest China. It was followed by several violent aftershocks and eventually affected up to 383,000 people, claiming nearly two hundred lives and severely impairing the lives of thousands more. Such widespread devastation and turmoil prompted overwhelming humanitarian support from the People’s Republic and nations and organizations around the globe.
One of the population groups most profoundly affected by the natural catastrophe were school students. Scores of schoolhouses were reduced to rubble and dust, and students were compelled either to suspend their schooling or to study in makeshift rooms. TCM Group, a global debt collection network that puts great store in fostering social awareness through social action, decided to do what it could to improve the lot of one group of students in Luyang Town.
On 21 May, 2013, the second day of the Group’s AGM, Group members from around the world participated in a charity auction in aid of the disaster-stricken area. Each member brought a special gift from their country of origin and auctioned it to the highest bidder. Over 40 items were sold on the night, raising a total of 59,000CNY (9500USD) in funds and demonstrating the efficacy of collective compassion through collective action. The event also marked the beginning of TCM’s commitment to raising funds for social awareness projects in every corner of the globe.
Entrusted by the Group with the responsibility for donation activities, TCM China (Inter-Credit) invested considerable effort in preparing the auction and ensuring that monies raised were put to good use. They established contact with Lushan Educational Bureau and learned
that Luyang No. 2 Elementary School (芦山县芦阳镇第二小学) was in urgent need of
uniforms and computers. After talking with the school and bargaining with the sellers, TCM China purchased 480 uniforms and 10 computers for the school.
On 27 June, two employees at the Inter-Credit Sichuan office drove 200 miles from Chengdu to Luyang Town to hand over the donations to the school and students in person. The headmaster Mr. Yang and the student deputy expressed their earnest gratitude to TCM Group and promised to put the donation to good use.
Acknowledgement of Donations
TCM Group would like to thank the many members who brought gifts to the auction, who bid for the items, who organized and supported the event, and who demonstrated their compassion for the students and community of Luyang town by doing so.
TCM Group’s fervently believes that it is in the human response to such unexpected and unavoidable natural disasters that serves as a litmus test of our common humanity. By reaching out to help communities rebuild a sense normalcy and integrity, it is possible to bring about meaningful change, however incremental and humble, to the lives of the afflicted. To not do so would impoverish our humanity and by turns the world.
