Dear Friends:
I'm sure you have heard about the May 12th earthquake disaster in Sichuan, China. As of May 15th, 20,000 victims are confirmed dead, 30,000 still unaccounted for, and over 100,000 now homeless. (Update time and #s before distributing your own version) Most tragically, hundreds and hundreds of young students perished when their school buildings collapsed. The pain suffered by their parents must be unimaginable, compounded by the fact that these children are the "one-child" generation of China.
Famous for its spicy cuisine, beautiful sceneries, and giant panda reserves, Sichuan is one of the most developed provinces in inland China. The people of Sichuan are well known in China for being industrious, humorous, friendly, and genuinely content with their lives. It's a cruel and tragic irony that nature had so violently hit such a group of beautiful, life loving people.
While massive rescue efforts have been organized by the Chinese government and military, millions of caring people in other parts of China and around the world have shown an outpour of sympathy and offers to help. I ask you to please kindly consider making a financial donation to help the victims. Your donation will provide urgently needed assistance for the survivors to recover and rebuild their lives.
Every dollar counts.
American Red Cross has teamed up with the Red Cross Society of China to establish and distribute a China earthquake relief fund. Details can be found at www.redcross.org/news/in/profiles/Intl_profile_ChinaEarthquake.html.
I would also like to introduce to you the China Earthquake Relief Donation Drive organized by Overseas China Education Fund (OCEF). OCEF is a non-profit organization focusing on improving education in rural China. As a charity organization founded, operated and supported by Chinese volunteers and donors all over the world, OCEF is now accepting donations for this special cause. The donations received by OCEF will be directed in full amount to reliable charity organization(s) in China, such as Red Cross Society of China, and used for the purposes of immediate disaster relief or post-disaster recovery. Please visit https://www.ocef.org/sichuan2008 for more information.
Please also forward this email to your friends and invite them to consider helping the victims.
Thank you for your time, kindness, and generosity.
