Dear friends,
As you may know, an earthquake struck the Sichuan province on Monday, causing massive amounts of damage to property, infrastructure, and over ten thousand deaths, lives which will never be recovered; students whose studies came to a terrible, unexpected end, fathers who will never return home, and children who, most tragically of all, will never get a chance at life. If you didn't know the details, please take a few moments to look over the cold, hard facts presented below, and to think of the human lives who are still in desperate need of help.
Facts:
- The Sichuan province was hit by a earthquake rated 7.9 on the Richter scale on Monday
- There are nearly 900 trapped students in Juyuan Middle School this moment, only ONE survivor has been found so far.
- In some areas, 80% of the buildings were reported to have been destroyed
- Over 12,000 reported dead or injured
- Dozens of aftershocks felt as far away as Beijing (960 miles away) and the Thai capitol Bangkok (1,200 miles away)
- 3.5 million homes were damaged or destroyed
- 25,000 may be trapped
- Sichuan, not historically known for earthquakes, was unprepared for an earthquake of any magnitude
- This is the largest earthquake on record in China for over 30 years
China is still reeling from the massive and catastrophic snowstorms earlier this year. In the face of another disaster only three months later, an earthquake whose death toll will eclipse that of the snowstorm, the people of China need all the help they can get.
These are some donations methods. There are on-campus donations available through OCEF and CSSA.
(1) Red Cross in China or in US
Go to www.redcross.org.cn, Click the "????" and follow the instruction there. Visa Credit Card is accepted and
international transction fee is around $1.94 for $100 transaction.
OR
Simply www.redcross.org and under FIND IT FAST, click Response to CHINA's EARTHQUAKE.
(2) Hong Kong Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org.hk/home.cfm?langId=1&Ver=G
Click the "Donations" Button at the left upper corner.
(3) American Red Cross Central Illinois Chapter
Mail check to:
404 Ginger Bend Dr., Champaign, IL 61822
Please make the check payable to American Red Cross, and please CLEARLY MEMO it : for disaster relief of earthquake in China.
(4) Tsinghua Alumni Association in Greater Chicago Area (registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization)
Please make your check payable to
Tsinghua Alumni Association in Greater Chicago Area.
Also indicate "China Earthquake Relief" in the memo
area of the check.
All transactions of donations will be published online
with the last name listed, also the company match will
go with the donation to earthquake and will be listed
also.
Other good resources include:
*Operation Blessing International
Operation Blessing International is rated four out of four stars on Charity Navigator and the first charity and aid organization to be allowed to fundraise in China (2001) and has delivered 2 Million tons of rice to Myanmar in the wake of the Cyclone Nargis. Help support OBI's disaster relief efforts including aid to the recent earthquake victims in China.
*AmeriCares International
AmeriCares International has delivered over $7 billion of aid to 137 countries over the course of 25 years and has a four star rating in efficiency from Charity Navigator.
*Mercy Corps
Like OBI, Mercy Corps is also rated four stars overall from Charity Navigator, and is already on the ground in China, assisting through a longtime partner. Since 1979, they have provided $1.5 Billion in aid to 106 countries, and can reach over 16.4 million people with their staff of 3500.
*International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
"The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is the world's largest humanitarian organization, providing assistance without discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions."
The IFRC includes the Red Cross societies listed above.
Receipts will be provided by request from the respective organizations.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,
The MAASU Executive Coordinating Committee
Special thanks go to the OCEF, AAA of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, CSSA and especially Yankun Guo for their initiative
-Written by Brian Kung and Yankun Guo
