A small act of kindness can light a lamp for someone else

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At the age of 41, Guan Minzheng decided to \"vote with his feet\". He made a bet with his friends: if he managed to walk 50 kilometers on Chongming Island, they would, as per the agreement, each donate a certain number of eggs to children in impoverished areas in the southwest. 　　Just a few months ago, this Shanghai-based lawyer was, like most people, at the starting point of engaging in charity. In times of disaster, people tend to donate money, but he didn’t know where his money was going; it seemed like something that was \"very far away\" from him. It was not until he saw the name “Guo Meimei” in the media. After getting angry, Guan Minzheng turned his attention to non-governmental charitable organizations. 　　The Rampage of an Egg \"The Rampage of an Egg\" is a fundraising campaign organized by the Shanghai Public Welfare Development Foundation to ensure that children in poor areas can have an egg to eat every day. Each egg costs 0.8 yuan, so 176 yuan is enough to provide an child with eggs for an entire school year. “Add a bit of flair to their world – not much is needed, just an egg per day. ” 　　61 people were moved by this simple wish. According to the \"game\" rules, before setting off, they sent an email to their friends: \"By the time you read this message, I will have already decided to participate in the ‘One Egg Challenge’... For someone of my age who is also not very good at navigating, saying it’s no problem is simply a lie... So, to give me more motivation and a sense of purpose – if I manage to complete the 50-kilometer challenge successfully, would you be willing to donate some eggs?\" ” 　　Zhang Fan unexpectedly received such an email. She gladly accepted this wager, but instead of making a \"bet,\" she participated as one of the walkers. At first, she didn’t have high expectations for the results, as only 5 people replied to the email she sent. This young person working for a non-profit organization is well aware that it’s not easy to \"come up with money\" from one’s own pocket. 　　Guan Minzheng and Zhang Fan are at the same starting point. In reality, for most participants, completing the first 20 kilometers is quite easy. Besides hurrying along, they still have time to take photos, post on Weibo, and even chat with curious passersby. 　　After 30 kilometers, the distance between my teammates widened, and I could no longer hear their chatter. Zhang Fan felt as though he was \"carrying eggs on his back\". Everyone was just focused on walking with their heads down; their soles burned with pain, and Guan Minzheng’s feet developed blisters. 　　They ultimately failed to make it to the finish. Zhang Fan sent out the reminder email marked with “36 kilometers”, while Guan Min simply donated 5,000 yuan on her own. Soon after, they could see in a video on the event’s website a little boy wearing a red scarf, holding his mother’s hand with one hand while pointing to his lips with his index finger; he shyly said to the volunteers who came back to check on them, “It’s delicious!” ” 　　In Zhang Fan’s view, even though he is thousands of miles away from these children, helping them is not “out of reach”. 　　In the face of charitable donations in the hundreds of millions, an egg costing 0.8 yuan is hardly worth mentioning. But thanks to the efforts of Guan Minzheng and Zhang Fan and their colleagues, 4,434 children will be able to eat a boiled egg every day during the upcoming school year. 　　His own actions: 6 months later, Guan Minzheng participated in another foot march on Chongming Island in Shanghai. This time, over 1,000 white-collar youths participated. Although the final amount raised of 670,000 yuan is not a large sum, the fact that 77% of it came from public donations made the organizers very happy. Domestically, the main sources of charitable donations remain businesses and institutions – civil society is not yet developed, and raising funds from the public is much more difficult than from businesses. 　　This difficulty became even more apparent after June this year. The media once documented such a small detail: a foundation was carrying out campaigns to encourage monthly donations on the streets, aiming to help vulnerable groups escape poverty through continuous, small-scale contributions from the public. However, when volunteers were soliciting donations on the streets, passersby gave them cold looks; some even directly asked whether Guo Meimei had anything to do with this 　　In the view of Liang Shuxin, the director of public welfare at Tianya Community, the \"Guo Meimei incident\" actually provided an opportunity for micro-public welfare. “This is a year of advancement for micro-public welfare. ”He said. 　　Liang Shuxin once launched a campaign titled “Pencils in exchange for school buildings.” Using a pencil from a poor primary school in Guangxi, he managed to obtain items worth 120,000 yuan on Weibo; these items were used to rebuild the school’s walls, toilets, and playground. 　　The first person to participate in the exchange was an internet user named “Anonymous User,” and the item he offered for exchange was also quite ordinary: a Meiji chocolate bar. Next, the chocolate turned into a rice cooker, and the rice cooker turned into a printer… Within a week, Liang Shuxin exceeded his goals. 　　Liang Shuxin believes that the era when charity meant simply filling out a money transfer form is over. “In the past, charity took only two forms: either system-first, relying on **mobilization ； Either it’s an elite-dominated system, relying on the wealthy upper classes, with things like fashion galas and celebrity auctions – activities to which ordinary people simply have no access. However, modern micro-charity has transformed the traditional models of philanthropy; by leveraging internet platforms, it virtually eliminates any barriers to participation. Moreover, it is not necessary to emphasize giving money or goods; even sharing a request for help is a very good form of micro-charity. ”He said. 　　It’s possible to do good deeds with just a few taps of your fingers; such people now have a special name: “lazy activists.” They adhere to the philosophy that less is more. One much-told “lazy person” story is that a foreign online gaming company designed a page inviting players to answer questions. For each correct answer, the website will donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Programme. Two years later, the lazy people “donated” 22 million bowls of food to those suffering from famine. 　　Doing charity can also mean treating people to a meal. Even as charitable organizations faced a crisis of trust, Liang Shuxin and his colleagues continued to carry out the free lunch program in the mountainous areas of Guizhou. In Taobao stores, by simply clicking “Buy Now” and paying 5 yuan, one can provide a lunch for students in impoverished areas, which includes a portion of rice, a boiled egg, and a soup dish; there are also two meat servings per week. 　　Liang Shuxin is optimistic, believing that everyone actually has kindness in their heart; the key is to find what will inspire it. Operating with 5 yuan is relatively easy, and it doesn’t cause too much stress. 　　Should something be done? After a trust crisis hit charitable organizations, two types of people emerged in society. 　　With over 300 more foundations registered nationwide this year, many people who distrust traditional charitable organizations have turned to starting their own initiatives. “Only as the number of foundations gradually increases does a basis for societal choice emerge. People no longer concentrate their money in the hands of a few large institutions with official backing. ”He said. 　　A library that records audio books for the blind, or a nonprofit organization that sells second-hand clothing online at low prices, can both serve as platforms for people to show kindness. 　In 2006, several young people who came to Beijing to work founded such a space in Picun, on the outskirts of Beijing—the Tongxin Mutual Aid Public Welfare Store. This store accepts donated clothes from the community; the difference is that they sell them for just a few dollars each. After deducting necessary expenses, the remaining income is used for other public welfare projects. They even composed a song for the store, in 4/4 time signature; the first lines of the song are simple words: “Here are clothes, one by one…” The founders of the charity store were people like Sun Heng from the Working Youth Art Troupe. After this art troupe became somewhat famous in Beijing, they began to receive large quantities of clothing donated by various organizations. At first, they brought second-hand clothes directly to the construction site to give to the workers, only to find chaos on site. Some people rush to grab things regardless of whether the clothing fits or not ； Some also stood coldly to the side, feeling that such charity was a dishonor to dignity. 　　Thus, they thought of the model of social welfare stores. Five years later, there were 10 branches near Pi Village, and 6 collection points in Beijing. 　　After 6 p.m., most of the workers have left work, and this is the busiest time of day for the store. Men’s pants have always been the best-sellers, priced between 6 and 10 yuan per pair, and they are always in high demand. Four days a week, store staff have to drive vans to collect old clothes from customers’ homes in Beijing. Compared to a few years ago, the amount of donations today has quadrupled. 　　However, Tao Chuanjin also noticed the activity of another type of people. “I don’t trust others; I myself don’t do it either, and I even curse people. It’s just that those who complain about others should also think to themselves whether they shouldn’t do something themselves. ” 　　Most of the time, kindness has a place to be. It might be in a pair of small used children’s shoes. 　　One noon in mid-August 2011, a regular donor in Beijing suddenly received this text message on his phone: “Are you the parent of little Zixuan?” I am very grateful to you all. We received from a charity organization a piece of clothing with Zi Xuan’s name on it, along with several pairs of shoes from IKEA. As soon as my daughter put them on, she didn’t want to take them off – she had never worn shoes that nice before. We’re migrant workers; each month, after covering our expenses, we have no extra money to buy nice shoes for the two sisters. I’m touched seeing my daughter so happy. Zixuan must be very beautiful; I could tell from her shoes and clothes. ” 　　The donors never expected that the recipients would track them down through the clues on their clothes – those were labels that the daughter’s kindergarten teacher had asked them to write on their clothing. She never imagined that her small act of kindness would light a lamp of happiness for another stranger girl.