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Chinese Association to send over $22K to earthquake victims
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Posted on May 20 2008
The Chinese Association will be sending over $22,000 in cash donations to the earthquake victims in China.
CNMI Chinese Association vice president Anna Chan said the organization has been collecting donations since last Friday and that they plan on sending all they’ve raised to China sometime this week.
The 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck western China last May 12, killed at least 34,000 people. Chinese officials say they expect the death toll to reach 50,000.
“Communication to China was really bad [shortly after the quake], I know some people whose families live around the province [where the quake struck]. They were trying to call their families, but it was very difficult,” Chan said. “But now communication is getting much better and I hope they have been able to get a hold of their families.”
She said she first learned of the news as she was browsing on the Internet. “I also turned on the TV and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It’s hard to imagine something like that could happen to your home country. I was just shocked,” Chan said.
Today, the association is continuing to collect more donations from the community as they prepare to send it to China.
“We don’t have a target amount but we’d like to collect as much as possible. Every little bit helps,” Chan said.
According to latest Associated Press news, the Chinese government reported that companies suffered $9.5 billion in damages from the quake.
Chan said she is happy to see to that “the Chinese community and the local community have been lending out a helping hand despite the economic woes” and those are still interested in donating to the worthy cause can still make their donations.
Donations are being accepted at the Dollar Days Wholesale, TransAmerica, Modern Stationary, Subway, Sunleader, Chinese Association, or in front of the Canton Restaurant in Garapan.
“We, the people here, are just very lucky to have our families and friends around, alive and well. We still have our homes, and we still have food to eat. And as the saying goes, ‘Its better to give than to receive,’” Chan said.
