Copyright 2024 - Ningbo Life / Ningbo Expat

Charity sales of paintings and calligraphic works on the net to aid students from poor families

A long scroll of painting with calligraphy is paving the way for a couple of students from poor families. Recently, a poster on the townsmen website of Xiangshan, titled as "Seven talents' cooperated painting offered for sale to aid students of the hometown" has capture the attention of thousands of netizens, with click rate ranking high. A charity sales by the artistic circle of Xiangshan in under way.

On July 17, logging on the townsmen website of Xiangshan, one can see a long scroll of painting, 4,800 mm long, 425mm wide, done by seven calligraphers, painters and poets.

In the net sale, many netizens actively bid for the picture and expressed their feelings about the sale. One said: "This is an invaluable painting with love." Another said; "I've always wanted to do something for students of my hometown. Though I intended to realize the wish by bidding for the picture, the price has exceeded my ability to buy it. Now I'll try to realize it another way: whoever is the final bidder, I'll give him or her another painting of my own for free."

According to the host of the website, this is a new mode to aid students from poor families. Later on, more charitable items will be offered for sale on the net, the money from which will be solely devoted to aiding students.

More and more young volunteers in Ningbo

"Excuse me, can my child come to participate in the volunteers' activities?" As soon as summer vacation started, the volunteers association in Jiangdong district received calls from parents, inquiring about the possibility for their children to participate in volunteer activities. A staff member of the association said that, with the awareness of social service greatly strengthened, more and more Ningbo kids are joining the rank of volunteers.

One parent said in the phone that kids nowadays have a quite well-off life but do not have any sense of social responsibility; many of them only ask their parents for things without knowing what they should do to repay, so she hoped her child can do some volunteer work so that he can acquire some sense of social responsibility and gratitude.

Teacher Yuan of the association said that, before, parents were more concerned about the kids' academic performance at school, without much attention to their social practice. But it is in such experiences as social service that can bring them a sense of satisfaction that is identified with their counterparts. From this perspective, volunteer work is not only suitable for university students but also middle and primary shool kids. Though it is regulated that only those above 18 can be volunteers, teacher Yuan thinks it the best way to cultivate good future volunteers to develop and spread the idea of volunteer service early in people's life.

However, the present volunteer projects and carriers are not really suitable for middle and primary school kids, or they do not appeal to them.

It is learned that the volunteer association in Jiangdong district is exploring the possibility to develop more volunteer programs suitable for different age groups so that more teenagers can find the proper programs for themselves.

It is learned that, this summer vacation, the Jiangdong association has come up with 3 volunteer projects specially designed for young kids. One is "Game Caravan for the Public" for young volunteers to learn public social norms and civilized behavior while they entertain themselves. Another is referred to as "Green Ribbon", in which young volunteers are given "green seeds" for them to grow and take care of and, once the seeds have grown into plants, they can be sold for charity or donated. The other is for the kids to visit retired people with special experiences to help record their past or to help them to store their old pictures into computers as albums. Kids who are interested in these activities can call 87978721 for more information.

Ningbo to give price support to poverty-stricken citizens

Ningbo Municipal Government recently released a document in which it is decided that from July 1, all the people qualified for the minimum living allowance and the approved low-income people and disabled people shall, in addition to the price support for their minimal living allowance, get food price subsidies in proportion to the rising food price at present.

The new food price subsidy mechanism is to be in effect during the period with the food price keeps on growing and the basic living expenditures of the poverty-stricken people keep growing, and in the period the city shall give food price support to the poverty-stricken citizens. This is a part of the basic living price subsidy system and the system of the minimum living allowance for the urban and rural citizens.

According to a related authority from Ningbo Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs, this policy will benefit over 85,500 people. According to related rules, the basic living price subsidy and the food price subsidy shall be decided on base of a quarter of a year, and the subsidies shall be granted once every quarter with one month after the price indexes is announced. This means, the first food price subsidies shall be granted in October this year.

First charity volunteer organization set up

On July 10, SOFOTO Charity 1+1 China Tour was launched in Ningbo, which is the first charity volunteer organization jointly initiated by the China Charity and the Ningbo SOFOTO Co., Ltd.

The organization plans to recruit 5000-8000 volunteers from all around the county and aims to offer voluntary services of 30-50,000 hours under the guidance of the China Charity.

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