Action Speaks Louder Than Words: Kang Chiao Donation Drive
Tiger Lin／Ting-En Liao／Jayden Liu／Alvin Lee／Albert Tsai／Antony Pan
Joanne Lo／Charles Lu／Isa Chen／Howard Luo
Tiger Lin
At school we have a donation drive, and each time the people we help are different. Sometimes we help people who are in a vegetative state, sometimes the poor, sometimes the disabled, and sometimes people in rural areas that need support. I really like helping them because knowing that what I do helps people have better lives makes me feel good.
During the activity, we’ll first make a donation box that will be used to gather money from others. Then, of course, I will go out with my partner on the streets to try to raise money. I think talking to strangers is the most fun and exciting part, but also the scariest part. Even though I feel nervous talking to strangers while trying to get them to donate money, it's for a good cause. There are some important things to keep in mind when talking to strangers: be modest, be grateful, and smile.
Even though my parents always help me, and give me the confidence to get started, the first time is always my biggest challenge. I remember I went up to a woman and the words got stuck in my throat, that was so embarrassing… Eventually, I had success. My partners and I emptied the donation box filled with money and put it in an envelope. We thought about the time that just passed, and thought about how I got better and better at asking people. This activity really was a fun and cool experience for me.
In order to involve younger students to participate in the donation drive, my team and I made Google Slides to present to the fourth graders. The slides introduced the purpose of the donation drive, and of course our experiences joining the activity. Our teacher taught us how to give a persuasive presentation to the younger grades. Instead of typing too many words on a slide, we should only put key words. After we finished making the slides, we did many rehearsals for the presentations to the fourth graders. That was a fun experience.
Top
Ting-En Liao
There is an exciting activity every year called “donation drive.” We go to different places with our classmates and ask people to help others that are sick, hurt, or poor. Why do we need to do this? It’s because we have a lot of resources to go to school and have a happy childhood, but some children don’t.
First, we need to remember what we will say when we ask people on the streets for help. Second, we start by asking people if they can donate money to help. This will last for 1-3 hours. Then, we will count the money that we collect, and bring it back to school the next day. The hardest part of the donation drive is the talking. I get nervous every time I have to talk to strangers. Sometimes there are people that don't want to help, and even though we try to persuade them , there is no use.
This year, because of COVID-19, we had to do the donation drive online. Instead of talking to strangers face to face, we called our relatives and friends to donate money for the charity. However, some people didn’t know how to use the website, or they didn’t know how to donate money online. I think having the online donation drive wasn’t as successful as before. Still, many thanks to Kang Chiao for having this activity, so we can learn about many different things.
Top
Jayden Liu
Kang Chiao has an exciting activity every year: the donation drive. There are two reasons why we do this. The first reason is our school hopes that by going out in the community and asking for help, we can learn how to be polite and how to help more people. The second reason is that most students don’t know that there are a lot of people who need help. Through this activity, we will learn to care about people in need. Raising money by asking strangers isn’t easy. Some people reject us, and some people think we are joking, or say a lot of rude things to us. However, there are still nice people that donate a lot of money. One time, I went to a park, and a woman donated NT$100,000 to us! We were very thankful for her help. This is really a good activity for us!
But last time, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we used Google Meet to talk to our relatives and neighbors to raise money instead. We talked about the foundations and the people that we are helping, and explained what kinds of help they need. We also told them there are other foundations that need donations, so they can help other foundations too.
Top
Alvin Lee
We have a donation drive every year in November. We go out onto the streets to introduce the charity we are helping and talk about what kinds of people the charity helps, then ask people to donate money. The reason why we do this is because we want to help people in need. A lot of charities help people in need, but they don’t have enough money.
The first time doing this for me was not easy. Some people thought I was weird and rejected me; others were nice, they thought I was brave, and they donated money. The second time, I met an American who donated 100 US dollars. This activity gives me a chance to practice speaking to people I don’t know, and it also gives me a huge sense of achievement.
As sixth grade students, my classmates and I made a Google Slides presentation to introduce the online fundraising activity to fourth and fifth grade students at Kang Chiao. We researched and interviewed the Taiwan U-Life Association and Genesis Social Welfare Foundation, then we typed the results on the slides. Finally, we gave a presentation to students in grades below us. Online fundraising is totally different from our previous experiences: I feel more nervous talking to my cousins than I do talking to strangers, but most students like it.
Top
Albert Tsai
Every year in Kang Chiao we have a donation drive. We go to different places and tell people on the streets our purpose for raising money. Personally, I have horse riding class every Saturday morning, so when I finish my class, I try to ask people on the farm if they can donate some money. We helped the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families. Students who participated in the donation drive will accept an award from the principal and take a picture with him. I remembered the first time I joined the donation drive, I didn’t know how to explain our purpose. Some people would reject us, or they would say mean things to us, but our teacher told us we need to ignore them. Because of Covid-19, this year we had an online donation drive. Instead of going out on the streets, I used my Instagram account to tell everyone about the donation drive, and try to raise money.
Top
Antony Pan
Every year Kang Chiao students participate in a donation drive, but why do we need to do that? We do this every year because there are many people who don’t have food to eat, or who can’t afford to get the medicine they need. We go out on the streets to raise money for foundations and charities, and they will use the money we raise to help people who are homeless or disabled. We donate the money to charities such as Taiwan U-Life Association or Genesis Social Welfare Foundation. It is hard when we go out on the streets to ask people to donate some money to us, because they will ask questions like, “Why do you tell us to donate money? You are students from Kang Chiao, you must be rich, and you can donate the money by yourself!” This is probably the biggest problem that many Kang Chiao students will face when they ask people to donate money for charities. When people say that to me, I will just walk away and ignore them, but sometimes when there are too many people asking these stupid questions, I will be angry. Even though it's not easy to talk strangers into donating money, I still think that the donation drive is a great activity because we can learn to help people, instead of spending money on things we don’t really need.
Top
Joanne Lo
Kang Chiao holds an activity in November of every year. What’s the activity? That activity is the donation drive. During the donation drive, we go out onto the streets and collect money from kind people. Every year, we donate the money we raise to different charities that help people.
I remembered the first time I joined the donation drive was in grade 3. I was very happy because I could finally use my own efforts to help more people in our society. The day before we went out on the street, my friends and I made boards that showed people what we were doing, and we also prepared gifts and cards to thank people for their kindness. At first, we were really shy about talking to strangers, but then we realized that if we didn’t speak up, people would never notice us. Therefore, we took the courage to talk to people about our donation drive. Although some people refused to help, we still said thank you to them for spending time listening to us. The great thing was, many kind people helped! Our cards and gifts were all passed out. I have participated in the donation drive four times. The feeling of helping others was really special. I think it’s worthwhile spending time helping people. I hope everyone can have a kind heart and help more people in need in our society.
Top
Charles Lu
Our school holds a donation drive every year. Every year, we work with new charities. The charity I remember the most is Genesis Social Welfare Foundation. From grade 3 to 6, we always help Genesis Social Welfare Foundation. Why do we do that? It’s because in our society, there are still many people that live in poverty, and they need help. Some of them don’t have their own home to sleep in, so we see them sleeping outside Taipei Main Station, malls, and temples. So, with this donation drive event, we can care for them, help them, and even more. But, not all people on the streets we see are willing to help. Some people are kind, some are indifferent, and that’s the hardest part of the donation drive. We need to ask many people and persuade them to donate money for people in poverty. When they refuse to help, we might feel bad, but if they accept to contribute, we will all be excited and happy. When we get back to school, we are still happy because even with only a few people’s help, we still get a great deal of money when we gather the contribution together, and we can help those people. It makes us feel good. Maybe one day, people we help will help us. Who knows?
Top
Isa Chen
There is a special event in Kang Chiao every year, and students are eager to take part in it. It is called the Donation Drive. As an old saying goes, “You get what you give.” This event gives students a chance to give back to society. We have helped a lot of lives every time we take part in the Donation Drive. Students from third to sixth grade will be on the streets, introducing this event to others. Some people are eager to help with a little money, but some won't even notice us. I take part in this event every year. However, it is still not easy for me. I am always shy to ask others to donate money. It is hard for me to open my mouth, speak up and raise my voice in public.
Still, I have always been able to raise a good amount of money. Some nice people put NT$100 into the donation box before I was even able to introduce the event. In the end, I hope everyone can be eager to help others who need assistance, give a hand to them, and together, create a kind society.
Top
Howard Luo
Each year in Kang Chiao, we have a fundraising activity called “Donation Drive.” The goal of the “Donation Drive” is to go out and persuade people on the streets to donate money to charities like Taiwan Fund for Children and Families, Taiwan U-Life Association, Genesis Social Welfare Foundation, etc.
This event is really important for us, because we can help others who have a shortage of food, clothes, books, or even who lack a home. On weekends, we go to downtown areas. We stand on the street and ask people, ”Can you donate some money? We will use this money to help poor children.”Some people will ignore us, but some of them will donate money to us, so we can help people with their donations. After the donation drive experience, we have some tips to make others believe us. First, you can wear your school uniform, so that they believe you are a student from that school. Second, be relaxed and use a well-mannered tone to greet them. Then, they may give you some money. “Donation Drive” is a really important activity. It gives us a chance to help others, and it makes us into better people!
