Kids Giving to Kids

Vacation Bible School June 2009 Kids Giving to Kids They had such fun at Vacation Bible School. Children from 3 years old to 6th grade gathered every morning to learn Bible stories, sing songs, and have a great time during summer vacation. The first Baptist Church chose Blessing Hands kids as their fund raising project for the week. Our kids need $2.75 to eat for one week at their boarding schools in China. For every $2.75 donated, a paper lunch bag was put at the front of the church. The kids got postcards of Yangshuo primary drawings when they made donations. At the end of the week $98 had been given by the kids. Parents added to that until it came to $139.21. I took their gift to the bank were the teller counted it. Some kids signed up for pen pals and others wrote on their postcards to send a letter to China. We sure do thank you, First Baptist Church of Morehead, for being blessing hands to our kids. Kids Wanted Yangshuo Paintings Bible School kids could "buy" Yangshuo Paintings Instead of getting toys or stickers, some kids saved up their earned points and "bought" Yangshuo Paintings at the Roman Market. Parents who donated $6 also got paintings. We decorated the church with the paintings that will stay up through the Sunday service. Families Came to the Program the Last Day A Student with His Chinese Painting This boy selected a painting of Moon Hill and the Big Banyan Tree in Yangshuo. You can join the kids to give to our kids. You can give any amount to feed our middle school kids. Use the orange link to go to our blog where you can donate through the Google Check Out Button at the top right. Thank you, Betty Cutts Blessing Hands 106 Timber Lane Morehead, Kentucky 40351 606 784 4785 One of the Older Classes Peg Jones' Class. Teachers Dressed like Romans Singing Action Songs Dusty Coyle, the School's Director, Dressed as Paul in Bible Times. Singing Action Songs got Everyone Involved

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School Construction in China

I have a friend in China rebuilding a school destroyed in the earthquake. He is an expert in wood construction sent by the Canadian government to use their donated lumber to rebuild the school to be resistant to earthquakes.

He writes a newsletter when he has time that I find very interesting because he is answering some of my cultural questions even though he doesn't know it. For example, why are Chinese schools just bare concrete and poorly maintained compared to what I am used to as a school in America?

I am pasting his last newsletter here for your information:

I thought it might be interesting for you to hear about the difference in construction thinking here in China from the US. Just a few examples; The Armstrong Flooring Company donated enough tiles to do the 50,000 sf of floors here in this school with the hard vinyl tile used in schools throughout all of North America.

It is called VCT and is a tough resilient material that when damaged can be lifted out one at a time and another one inserted in its place. It does not shrink like the cheep tile squares you used in your rental house that after time shrink and leave dirt filled lines between the tiles. Its only draw back is it requires regular waxing and polishing.

The Chinese however do not have a budget for such extravagant maintenances schemes. So they are rejecting the donated tile and painting the floors instead. This will then make this school like all the rest of the schools throughout China. Only schools with big budgets in the construction phase have ceramic tile floors that only require sweeping. VCT or sheet goods are never used.

A German company wished to provide all the windows and doors for the buildings. That was rejected when the management company here found out the window sash was not designed to replace broken glass in. If glass is broken the whole sash and glass need to be removed from the building, taken apart and then reassembled with the new glass in it and reinstalled back into the building.

The doors came with a special hinge system and latch system that are not available here in China and very expensive to acquire if broken here in China. Thus another high maintenance item rejected.

The local school board has rejected and asked that the clock system designed for the school and its classrooms not be installed. It is an item not needed in a country school. They are used in city schools but this a country school, and it is thought to be a sign of extravagance. So no clocks will be installed. The wiring system and the controller is to be installed anyway. That will allow the clocks to be installed later if they should change their minds.

Sit-down toilets were also offered but rejected as unsanitary and high maintenance. The squatters are being used instead. (Chinese plumbing is usually of the Asian variety. You squat over a hole in the ground that also fushes just like a Western toliet.)

When I had a chance to chat with the former mayor of Shanghai he voiced his concern that the cost of keeping a wooden school up will be a significant burden to this small village. As I look at it, the school I have built here will need a new roof in 15 years, re-staining of the siding every 3-4 years, Termite spraying every spring outside and every summer inside the buildings. These are all costs not burdening Chinese school systems. All three of these items are never done in a typical rural Chinese concrete school.

Their concrete tile roofs last 40 years. The outsides are concrete or tile and never need paint, however, they look bad after just a few years, but there is no bug-food in a concrete structure. Floors are painted every other year. Sweeping is the biggest chore, and each teacher does their own room into the hall,l which is then swept by a student that is on detention. It is a simple system that has been used for 60 years. The procedures before then were even simpler.

So I can see the problems our Western school designs produce to the rural school district. And now you can see some of what I have to deal with here. It seems so generous of the different corporations and countries to donate items for schools here that just do not fit in this system of construction and maintenance cycles. Canada was lucky to get our wood structure accepted as an experiment in alternative and sustainable structural materials for public structures.

Jerry

Is There Life After Graduation?

Is There Life After Graduation? Thanks to our family of sponsors, students are graduating and many will go to college. I want to tell you the story of Liang Guangyun who received a Blessing Hands college scholarship this year. There are many success stories but this one is his. I have a special love of physics. Liang Quanyun's words caught the eye of a physicist reading his scholarship essay last year. When it comes to my dreams, I always said I wanted to be a scientist. I have a special love of physics. I think I will take up physics classes, and I want to make some contribution to society. The college tuition expense is beyond my family's ability. There are two people studying in school, my little sister and I. My little sister is one year younger than me, and she is going to be a senior three student, which means spending a great deal of money. What is worse, my family can't afford any more for there are few incomes in our family. Besides, my father has a disease. As money is lacking, it cannot be cured. In a word, my family is short of money. Poverty is a constant presence with our Blessing Hands students. They come from rural families without much land, resources, and sometimes health care. Because the physicist was touched by his dream, Liang got his scholarship and went to Nanchang University last fall. I got a letter recently from Liang Quanyun describing his first year of college. He is studying computers, when he really wanted to study physics. College students in China don't always get to major in their first choice of subjects. It depends on the college that accepts them and what courses they have open. He is glad to be studying, however, and willing to suffer for the education he so desires. As to free time, so much work fills it. Quantities of things need to be learned. When it comes to the challenge, study is the first. As the professor gives lectures too fast to follow, most of my lessons I learn by myself. Though I have the ability to learn, it will spend mountains of time. Meanwhile I need to do two or three part-time jobs to earn my living costs, which takes almost 40 hours per month. Time is beyond of my ability. In order to do it well. I have to get up at 6:10, and then not go to bed until 23:10 (11:10 p.m.). There are so many competitions in college, such as physics competition, math competition, and web design. I have applied for the math competition, which will be held next semester. In order to perform it well, in summer vacation, I will do some preparation. On the other hand, I need to study computers, and get through the state secondary examination of computers. Liang's sponsor has already decided to sponsor him again next year. With his hard work, he is sure to succeed. All of our students are studying very hard. We hope that their sponsors will renew their sponsorships too. Three sponsors have already committed to renew their scholarship help. We hope you will also. Send us an e-mail to blessinghands@gmail.com if you are willing to sponsor your college student a second year. Of course there are always new graduating high school students who need first year scholarships. Some of you might support one of them in the fall. Students Graduating Yu Yanying wrote recently. " I have finished senior high school with your help. Thank you very much. Wish you all the best." Yanying will be applying for a Blessing Hands $500 scholarship for college soon. We will feature her in the summer after we have rated all the scholarship applications, essays, and test scores. We will tell her story later. Every June Chinese middle school kids and high school students graduate into a new life. They have just finished very difficult tests that will place them in high schools or qualify them for college. Those that don't score high enough on the tests will go to vocational school or work. I think these tests are similar to the tests the emperors gave once a year to select civil servants. The honor of families hangs on these tests as well as the future of the students. Without a good test score, the students will not go to a good high school or college, but with an education they can reach back and help their families. Our tuition program is a great poverty reduction program. All of China holds its breath during these three day tests nationwide. Traffic is routed away and even helicopters are not allowed to fly near the testing centers. Parents are as stressed out as the students and teachers in the days before the tests when pretests are given daily to prepare them. Internet blackouts are enforced in schools to keep students from being distracted from their studies. Now the tests are over and I am hearing from the students again. They are finally free of studies but still full of hope until the test scores come back and lives are ruined or lifted. Their letters can make me cry - just knowing that we have made a difference in their lives, and they have made it through high school finally after all their struggles. Read more about the Chinese Obsession with the national test at this New York Times Link. Join Our Mailing List! NEW WAY TO GIVE MONTHLY Someone has been sending us regular anonymous $10 contributions through "Just Give". We sure thank you. For your convenience we have researched a way for you to give through your bank automatically. It gives us the whole amount without any service charge withheld, and it is easy to set up a regular contribution through your bank. We have a form that you can download or print right from your browser. Just mail it to us along with a void check from your account. The form is located at this address. I have used automatic bank deposits to support a child in Haiti for many years. It sure has been convenient for me. I don't have to remember to send a check, and I don't pay for a stamp every month. I recommend this method of giving to you. Festival Results The Clack Mountain Festival was very good. We sold 17 student paintings and made some new friends for our kids. One new sponsor signed up to support a student.

Great News

 

Subject: 12 Student recently Sponsored 12 Primary Students now are Sponsored!  We are thrilled to announce  that a local business man saw our primary kids needing sponsors and has sponsored 12 of them. I was so excited to have him tell me his good news. For $360 a year he can help 12 of our kids have extra help like school supplies and extra for books . I warned him that they would be more expensive to sponsor as they grew, but that didn't seem to bother him. We love sponsors who will be faithful to stay with a child until they no long need help.  It gives the students such security and hope to have a constant, regular, sponsor.  Sincerely, Betty Cutts When knowledge is loved, the plum blossoms will open. When learning is despised, the plum blossoms will close.

Twittering News

In This Issue Sponsor a Child Photos of Primary Students Needing Sponsors Children's Book Valued Volunteers China Trip Clack Mt. Festival Sponsor Haung. Liyuan You can help her care about her future. $30 a year will help her have school supplies. Click below to become her special sponsor. Visit Our Photo Page You can see the Primary students without sponsors at this link. Just e-mail us which child you would like to sponsor. Click to donate $30 to any Primary student. Follow-up Links Website of Blessing Hands Photopages Blog Featured Article Which country's students study the most according to a recent survey of world students? Sponsor Middle School Student.s Zhang Lin Go to this page to see Middle school students who need sponsors. Choose one and e-mail us for details. Middle School students need $70 a year or $35 a semester to help pay for their food. Yangshuo High School students without sponsors are featured in this link. Yi Xianhui needs a sponsor. $160 a year will pay his tuition to high school. $80 a semester will help a Qinzhou high school student continue in school. $100 contributed to the general fund will help students without sponsors. Twittering With News Good News So much has happened lately that I can barely keep up, which you can tell from my lack of newsletters. I want to share with you some results of our May activities and some exciting things to serve you on the horizon. 20 new sponsors have selected kids to support this spring! $61 came from the Pizza Hut promotion - thanks to all of you who ordered pizza with our fund raising vouchers. $778 came in from sales at our Yangshuo Art Show at the Rowan County Arts Center. More came from other special events where we featured only the children's art. Jan Lewis raised support for two of our girls again this year. She loves to run as a fund raiser. She hopes to raise $500 for a college scholarship this fall. Maybe some of you would like to have fund raising runs. Besides Facebook's Causes, Blessing Hands is now onTwitter, a social network that is popular. Twitter me as @bdcutts. Followers are welcomed. We have received a Salesforce grant that will allow us to use their services for free. The list price of this donation is $15,000 a year. Salesforce is a cloud application (using no software locally on a computer) that will let us store information on the internet where it will never be lost. It will also give better service to you donors and sponsors when we get it figured out. Now we have to alert sponsors with an e-mail when they need to give to their special students. With Salesforce the system should be automatic. There is a learning curve so be patient. So far 25 graduating students have sent in essays to apply for $500 college scholarships. We expect at least 25 more. Thanks, Betty Cutts New Book Finished Daring to Dream This is the title and cover of our new children's book. The painting is by a student at Yangshuo Experimental Primary school named Liang Jingying and the painting's title isPeace will be Spread All Over the World. I love the doves they are holding and the bright red sun. Only a farm kid would know that doves have pink eyes. When I saw the unique paintings the Yangshuo students sent for our auction, I thought they cried out to be featured in a book. I didn't want to see them leave when they were sold one by one. I could keep them in a book I thought. Then I met Maggie Decker, an education teacher at Morehead State University. Dr. Decker had a whole class who were writing their own books, and she encouraged me to join them. She has a loving heart and is writing her own book about China. With Maggie's help and encouragement, a prepackaged children's book kit, and the media center at the library, a book was born. So far there are only three copies, but someday I might put it on Amazon Books and let everyone have a chance to read or download it. I want the kids in Yangshuo to see it first. After all it features their pictures, letters, and paintings. It is only 22 pages, but Maggie says I have another book in me, and I can do it next semester too. Valued Volunteers Lilly Wu (吴虹), shown at the right, and Debbie Wang (王芳), visiting scholars at our local Morehead State University, have gone back to Nanning, China. They did so much to help us while they were here. All the scholars have, but Lilly and Debbie have helped us for 9 months tirelessly. They have done translation, helped with planning, given advice, manned display tables, served tea, helped with the auction sales, edited our new children's book, and invited me to classes to talk about Blessing Hands. Debbie Wang is here shown with our postcards made from children's paintings. Without their help, I would never know my mistakes in Chinese culture. They have always patiently taught me and opened doors for our students. I will look forward to seeing them in China this summer. I especially want to thank Lilly Liu Raodong (刘 绕冬), one of our scholarship students majoring in managing records. She has begun to enter our information forms in a program that will help us manage all of our information better. She has saved me hours of work and done it much better than I ever could have since I don't know Chinese. Lilly is in her third year of college and will intern soon. It is such a pleasure to see our students start to give back to Blessing Hands, fulfilling what we modeled for them. Coming to China in July Abby Oney is coming to China. Abby is a college student majoring in Biology at Morehead State University. This will be her first trip overseas. She has helped with two "Pick Me" campaigns and is excited to be going to China with me on July 15th. We plan to meet some supporters in Hong Kong and pick up things for the schools. Crossroads Charity there will give us requested items to carry into China in our suitcases. I will ask for digital cameras and small computers that the kids might be able to use for e-mailing their sponsors and pen pals. Right now it looks like we will be arriving in Guilin on the 18th and staying there a day or two before going to Yangshuo. Doris Wells is also traveling with me this time. Doris is meeting her sponsored student and wants to know the kids she has been seeing as she worked on pen pal cards. She volunteers with us, when she has time. She is a good friend, grandmother of five, and a devoted wife. Most of all we will be interviewing new scholarship students, who hope to find sponsors for their first year of college in the fall of 2009. We already have 25 application on file. We will also visit schools and take a lot of pictures to share with you. Bamboo, one of our scholarship students who is majoring in media, has offered to make a movie with us in China. We will be in Nanning from the evening of the 24th until the 26th and in Qinzhou from the 27th until the afternoon of the 30th. We hope to see many visiting scholars in Nanning. We fly out of Hong Kong on the 31st. If you are a Blessing Hands college scholarship student and have time to have a meal with me while I am in your area, contact me at this e-mail or your Blessing Hands administrator. I hope to have dinners with you in Nanning and Guilin and perhaps Qinzhou and Yangshuo. You all come to the Clack Mountain Festival! 1st Street Saturday, June 6th 9 am until 4 pm. Morehead, KY Come out and enjoy this great music and craft show the first weekend of June. Look for the booth that we will be sharing with Jackie Scott at the Festival. You can see from this picture that she sells beautiful hand made jewelry. We will have Yangshuo art for sale too, especially the student art. (Jackie is on the left in the picture). The festival features folk art, Kentucky crafts, and our own brand of Bluegrass and Country Music. Admission to the street market is free. There is something for kids of all ages. Come enjoy Kentucky culture. You can be the most important person in a student's life. Give now to give them a future. Volunteer so they can be blessed. You will be blessed too. Sincerely, Betty Cutts Blessing Hands p.s. See the side bar to select a student to sponsor.

Checks can be sent to Blessing Hands, 106 Timber Lane, Morehead, KY 40351

Which Country's Students Study the Most?

Survey: Chinese high school students study more.

www.chinaview.cn 2009-03-24

BEIJING, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese high school students have the longest study hours compared to their peers in Japan, the U.S. and the Republic of Korea, a survey conducted by the four countries said.     The survey, released by the China Youth and Children Research Center (CYCRC) on Monday, was jointly conducted with institutions in the four countries in September-October of 2008. It covers nearly 4,000 students in senior high schools and vocational high schools in the four countries.     About 78.3 percent of Chinese students said they spend more than eight hours at school and 56.7 percent said they study at least two more hours each day at home.     By contrast, only 24.7 percent of their peers in the U.S., 20.5percent in Japan and 15.4 percent in Korea study more than two hours after school.     Around 60 percent of all students surveyed said their burden for studies were the heaviest, however, the Japanese felt their burden was the worst with respondents reaching 79.2 percent.     Among the five biggest headaches for young people in the four countries were: over-scheduling ranked first, followed by a monotonous leisure life, unsatisfied appearance, little time for exercise and making friends, and no spare money.     "Moderate study pressure can better drive students to develop, however, too much will squeeze their development space, and can even cause harm to their physical and psychological health," the survey said.     "Balancing their studies and all-round development is a very important task," it said.