Visit to the Zhang Family
While I was in Yangshuo, China recently, I visited the home of Zhang Lufei and personally gave her family the $300 donated by the Kentucky Chinese American Association to comfort them in the death of Lufei.
They were still grieving over her death in the flood last spring. Her grandmother told me how Lufei went to buy pencils near the creek. Lufei loved school and was a very good student her grandmother said. She was excited about going to school the next day and needed pencils.
Friends were with her when she slipped on the bank of the creek and fell. The frightened girls immediately ran for help, but it was too late by the time she was pulled from the swollen creek.
Her father and grandmother live with Lufei's uncle. Lufei's mother left home when she was an infant, so her grandmother raised her and was very close to her. She cried through almost our entire visit.
Her father was able to meet us also, and I gave them gifts. The best gift was the $547 donated by KYCAA and our donors. The family really appreciated the gift and seemed to need it. They gave us some delicious tangerines that the hotel made into juice for our breakfast.
We are planning a Chinese New Year fund raising auction for our Lufei's Children's Fund. Many other children will be able to go to school with the proceeds from the silent auction in her name. Since she loved school so much, I think she would be pleased with that.
The Lufei Children's Fund Charity Auction will be during a Chinese New Year event sponsored by KYCAA on January 24, 2009 in Lexington, Kentucky. KYCAA has arranged for Chinese dancers to perform at the Singletary Center on the campus of the University of Kentucky. Our silent auction will be in the Singletary lobby at the same time.
There are 39 professional paintings and calligraphy scrolls donated by artists in Yangshuo and Pubei, China that are for sale. School children in Yangshuo have also sent many paintings for the sale. American artists have also given paintings for the auction.
The children's painting were so wonderful that we have made post cards that you can purchase for $1, and a children's book of them will also be for sale.
On-Line Bidding - Bid on our Blog by Clicking the Side Show Pictures to the Right.
Bid on the paintings online by clicking on the pictures in the three slide shows at the right top of this blog. You will be redirected to the picture you clicked. Next scroll down to the bottom of the picture's page to the comment box. You can enter your bid there by putting your name, bid, and e-mail address. Then click the post comment button, and presto your bid is recorded, and we are alerted that you have made a bid.
For example: Betty Cutts, $25 bid, bdcutts@gmail.com, is entered in the comment box for the professional painting shown here. If you add your own higher bid, you will outbid me on the same painting online. You can check your bid from time to time by going again to the link and checking the comment box to see if another bid has been placed. We will also alert you when you have been outbid.
We will close the online bidding on January 23th and open the live bidding at the event the next day. If no one outbids your bid, which will be marked on the painting auction form as the starting auction bid, the art is yours for your bid price + shipping. If someone bids higher at the evening silent auction, you have lost out and should have made a higher bid.
We are accepting Auction Items
You can also send items to the auction for us to sell. We will also be selling things like jewelry, items donated by merchants, and gift cards to events and restaurants.
You can contact us at blessinghands@gmail.com. We will accept new items and valuable used items like antiques, jewelry, or paintings. Please don't give yard sale type items for this particular sale. You will get a tax receipt for the value of the donation.
Of course we also invite you to come to the program and celebrate the New Year of the Ox with the Chinese community of Lexington. January 24, 2009 is the date to put on your calendar. We will open the auction at 6:00 p.m before the 7:30 program begins.
Thanks,
Betty Cutts for the Blessing Hands Kids
