11 Years of Blessings

11 Years of Blessings In 2005 Mo Renjiao's grandmother gave me a stool. A Grandmother's Story  Do you know how Blessing Hands was born in 2005? It started with Mo Renjiao's grandmother. I was teaching in a summer English camp in Yangshuo, China when I asked to visit the families and schools. When we came to Renjiao's home, her grandmother was just coming in from the fields. She was all bent over with hard labor. I looked at her and thought she would never live long enough to see her two fatherless grandchildren grow up. What would happen to the children if Mo Renjiao's family in 2005 she died? I wanted to help her somehow. I did not want to just hand her money and shame this proud, hardworking woman. I looked for something in her house that I could buy. I picked up a small stool like they sold to tourists in Yangshuo. Pleased with my plan, I asked to buy it. She said no. Then she gave it to me. I am moved to tears even now as I remember that moment.   Mo Renjiao 莫仁姣 with her grandmother in 2016 That stool sits in my home as a symbol of her great heart that took in two grandchildren to raise at her advanced age. She has lived to 94 and hopes to live to a hundred. She cannot walk unaided now, but you can tell from the pictures that she is lively yet. She is still my friend and equal in charity.  She has seen her granddaughter go to medical school, and Blessing Hands help over a 1000 other children. I resolved that day to help children like her She is proud of her granddaughter. grandchildren get an education - not by giving pity or "charity" but by giving them a blessing hand and expecting them to become blessing hands to others. We give the gift of education that every Chinese child needs and dreams about.  We will be participating in the GoodGiving Challenge again this December. It is an online fund raising effort where people all over the world can give. You can help children like the Mo children and take the burden of need off of grandparents' shoulders. Our fundraising goal is $12,450 which will add 30 more high school students to our sponsorship program as totally supported. High school students in China do not get free public education. That stops at 9th grade.  Look for more information on social media as the GoodGiving Challenge kicks off on November 28th and ends December 31st. I will get back from China on the same day it begins.  Liang Chunmei梁春梅 College Scholarships We are giving scholarships to our college students now but some still need funding. Liang Chunmei is in her second year of a 3-year business English degree from Guangxi University of Foreign Languages. Her GPA is 89.56, and she needs a $650 scholarship.  "I was born in a poor family. My parents are farmers and I have a younger brother in school. My parents work from dawn to night, but they cannot pay my tuition. I must confess that I need your help." Several other students lack complete scholarships. Please help our students by giving to our scholarship fund or taking a student to sponsor. We will be sponsoring at least 55 college students this year.  Give any amount for scholarships on our website $4,000 Endowment Gift ! I got a really good surprise recently. A family that has supported our Blessing Hands students for 11 years has given to our Blessing Hands Endowment Fund with the Blue Grass Foundation. They received an Endow Kentucky Tax Credit of 20% of their $4,000 gift. We also received a $5,000 endowment gift as a prize for our performance in the GoodGiving Challenge in December 2015. That gives us $9,000 in endowment giving this year and a total endowment of over $50,000.  The state legislature is doing this to encourage community foundation giving. Unlike tax deductions, tax credits are taken off a tax bill dollar for dollar. This credit can reduce a donor's Kentucky tax bill to zero. For example, a gift of $4,000 can eliminate a tax liability of $800. This is in addition to the federal and state tax deduction you receive by giving the donation. Blessing Hands will get income from our fund each year while the principal of the fund continues to grow.  Our endowment fund will insure that Blessing Hands continues to help Chinese students for years to come.  More information about the EndowKentucy tax credits China, Here We Come! We have a lot of places to visit during my November trip to China.  Qinzhou High School Students We will have a tuition gathering in Qinzhou on Sunday the 13th.  Computers given to Du'an Special Education School I will also visit the Du'an area to see the special education school's installation of 40 computers and the small primary schools we give school supplies to each semester.  School supplies for schools in Longfu In Guilin Prefecture I will meet with our students and volunteers and start a new program in Ziyuan County. Then we will go on to Chibi in Hubei Province to start a new high school program.  Krystal Fan is one of 3 prefects in charge of fundraising for Blessing Hands at Shanghai United International School. Finally, we will visit Shanghai United International School, which is featuring Blessing Hands as their special fund raising project. Last year they raised $9,000 for our students.  Click on the photos to see more pictures. They will help with our GoodGiving Challenge this December.  I will be leaving for China on November 10 and returning on the 29th. We will have scholarship lunches in Qinzhou - Monday November 14th, Nanning - Tuesday the 15th, Guilin- Sunday the 20th, and Yangshuo -Monday the 21st. Contact us for the times and places.  Blessing Hands| 606 207 4785   Email | Website