The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.111)

2019 • 06 08 eature served, I used to holler from my balcony and my friends from the neighbouring blocks would flock to my unit. But now, I choose to spread the word by phone,” she chuckled. Mee Hong was content with a carefree life in the company of the housewives in her neighbourhood, occupying themselves with household affairs and social gatherings. On one of her visits to the nearby park to approach prospective customers, she made acquaintance with volunteer Lim Saw Bee, who introduced her to Tzu Chi. Memories of their encounter would still amuse Mee Hong, who had initially mistaken SawBee for a direct sales personnel attempting to promote her wares. Mee Hong is no stranger to Buddhist organizations as she had been frequenting Buddhist places of worshipwith her older siblings in her childhood, but Tzu Chi’s unique approach of imparting Buddhist teachings through study group and fellowship sessions, volunteering opportunities and humanitarian work appealed to her. Furthermore, she was inspired by the story behind the Bamboo Bank Era to devote herself to a charitable cause and signed up as a Tzu Chi donor. “Back then, my knowledge of Tzu Chi was limited at best. But I was keen on helping others, so I agreed to donate to the bamboo bank and encouraged my customers to do the same,” said Mee Hong of her motivation to join Tzu Chi. Fuelled by kind intentions, she would invite her customers to contribute to the bamboo bank, a seemingly trivial effort that eventually generated a far-reaching impact, as a growing number of her customers were moved by her earnestness to become Tzu Chi donors. The power of community ThevivaciousMeeHongexudes remarkable charisma, drawing more than ten donors within the short span of a month to join her in the spirit of charity. Although Mee Hong herself is unable to fully commit her time to volunteer as she has to care for her mother-in-law, the number of volunteers and donors she managed to recruit had exceeded 300. In addition to her caregiving duties, Mee Hong is torn between chauffeuring her children to school and tuition classes, managing the household chores and running her hair salon. Yet, she remains ever willing to spare time to help others despite her busy schedule, as evident in her generosity towards an elderly couple living next door, who were prone to bouts of abdominal pain and often requested Mee Hong’s assistance to fetch them to the doctor. Mee Hong later discovered that the elderly couple’s persistent discomfort was due to the cold meals they had been consuming, as they relied on their daughter- in-law to prepare their meals for the day in the morning before leaving for work with their son. Out of sympathy for the elderly couple, Mee Hong offered to deliver hot meals to them for dinner. “I don’t mind preparing an additional portion of food for my neighbours. I provide them with nourishment as I would my own parents. It’s as simple as adding an extra handful of rice into the rice cooker,” she quipped. After Mee Hong’s mother-in-law passed away in 2014, she began actively participating in volunteer work at Saw Bee’s encouragement, including attending volunteer training courses, offering free haircuts to the needy, ferrying fellow volunteers around and engaging the elderly in recycling work. She was certified as a Tzu Chi Commissioner in 2016, but never rested on her laurels. Two years later, she led more than ten volunteers recruited from her community