Seeing the plight of the students and the teachers, the Tzu Chi volunteers had an initial plan to reconstruct the school roofs and ceilings. However, Master Cheng Yen said, it is better to demolish the whole structure and build a new, sturdy building that would withstand the test of time and calamities.

The volunteers thought of means on how to sufficiently fund the construction of a new school. Thus, a fund raising effort was held through a charity bazaar aptly themed “Soliciting loving hearts; buying with love, selling with love,” on November 10-11, 2007 at the Tzu Chi Great Love Campus (TCGLC), Bacood, Sta. Mesa, Manila. The charity bazaar also coincided with the celebration of the Tzu Chi’s 13th founding anniversary here in the Philippines.

The Preparation

The 2007 Charity Bazaar entailed a long period of preparation. It commenced early July when the volunteers coordinated with factories, companies and organization who would want to participate in the bazaar by donating their goods. Aside from the specific tasks assigned to them, the volunteers also met with their group to come up with a unique offer for the bazaar. As a whole, the volunteers initiated the release of cash coupons. Each cash coupon has a P500 peso value that is consumable by purchasing items from the bazaar.

November 9. While everybody was in sheer excitement for the opening of the bazaar the following day, heavy rains occurred. The rains then brought flood around the TCGLC ground, the actual site of the bazaar. What’s worse, the weather forecast said a typhoon is coming. Worries and tensions arise but the volunteers kept in mind what Master Cheng Yen said. Persistence breaks through all difficulties and obstacles. The volunteers’ love and great desire to help the students of TNHS persisted, and it all paid off.

The Opening day

A bright, sunny day welcomed the 2007 Tzu Chi Charity Bazaar. More than 400 volunteers from Tzu Chi main office in Quezon City, liaison office in Cebu, and main headquarters in Taiwan attended the event. Local volunteers, teachers and students from TNHS also came. The volunteers and guests arrived through shuttle services provided by the Foundation.

The program kicked off with the sinuous and undulating Dragon Dance. A prayer parade by the volunteers proceeded. Tzu Chi President Manuel Siao hit the gong and the three loud sounds of the gong reverberated around the campus, signaling the start of the fun-filled and love-centered bazaar.

Eighty eight booths were set up and filled with an array of gift and food items that were a feast to one’s eyes. The stage at the gymnasium continued to give off performances from guests including the Buddhacare Academy, St. Jude Catholic School, and Master Child School. A portion of the gym was also made into a kids’ station where children were treated with tricks by the Foundation’s hired magician. This way the parents were at ease that their children are safe while they are gone shopping.

Promoting vegetarianism, promoting goodness

In another part of the gym, buffet tables lined up, serving 12 mouth-watering vegetarian dishes. Assisting the volunteers was a group of young students from Tzu Chi college education scholarship program. Aside from the buffet, the volunteers also prepared a variety of vegetarian menus, including culinary delights from the countries in Asia – Philippine delicacies, Korean kimchi, Chinese noodles and dimsum, and Japanese sushi.

The volunteers were very happy because the visitors have enjoyed the vegetarian recipes they have prepared. It was one way of promoting vegetarianism as a healthy but enjoyable form of diet. And from a number of vegetarian dishes offered, the volunteers proved to their visitors that one cannot be tied up with a handful, repeated and eventually boring servings of vegetarian dishes.

From Taiwan with love

Fourteen volunteers from Tzu Chi Headquarters in Taiwan arrived to participate in the bazaar. For two days, they have sold out 1000 pieces of machang. Their other best seller, the misua soup, also sold like pancakes.

Dr. Tsay Chung Hsien, a renowned dentist in Taiwan and an active volunteer of the Tzu Chi Foundation, also graced the event. Dr. Tsay was struck with polio when he was young but that never ceased him to carry out the Missions of the Foundation.

Creative and compassionate young hands

The booth manned by the Tzu Chi youth glittered with the display of red and gold Chinese lanterns made by the youth themselves. There were also tumblers designed with written “Still Thoughts.” A Tzu Chi youth, Dewey, shared his exceptional craft in writing Chinese calligraphy. He would artistically paint on a chosen “Still Thought” in to a blank fan and voila! The customer has an elegant fan that would cool her off and even remind her of the good life through the words of wisdom printed on her fan.

Valued “invaluables”

If the bazaar’s ukay-ukay booth would continue to operate for commercial purposes, it would definitely give the existing ukay-ukay stores a run for their money. From the donated reading materials alone, Tzu Chi had generated a profit of P40,000. Instead of landing in a junkyard’s chest, the volunteers have extended the “life” of these reading materials as they carefully arranged the books and magazines by attaching loose pages and covers, and even wrapping those books without cover.

Authentici-TEA

As Tzu Chi’s missions cover Charity, Medicine, Education and Humanity, it also aims to preserve authentic Chinese tradition and practices such as the tea-serving ceremony. A volunteer gracefully demonstrated the serving of tea, with every action conveying different meaning and purpose. Serving tea requires meticulous movement of the hands starting with the preparation of cups and teapots, up to the scooping out of tea and boiling of water, and finally serving the tea blend to the guests.

The love booth

While most of the booths were overwhelmed with novelty and useful items, a booth with only Tzu Chi posters as its backdrop stood out among the rest. With no products to sell, the volunteers would tell passers-by that they indeed were selling and soliciting love.

In one of the posters, medical treatments and their accompanying costs were printed for the reference of those who would want to donate. Say, a tooth extraction costs P200, then a donor would donate the said amount. If he or she would like to donate for three tooth extraction, then she would donate P600. If he would want to donate for a denture, then he would pay for the amount specified. This way, a donor is given a clear view of where his money goes. Further, he or she is also given the chance to select from the list of treatment and medical assistance he would want to donate on.

The booth was also manned by Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) doctors and nurses who were on stand by to provide first-aid and other health precautionary measures.

There were also the former patients and long-time beneficiaries of Tzu Chi who took their time off to be part of the bazaar. As their own means of expressing their gratitude to the Foundation, they stood as the Foundation’s spokesperson and share with the guests how their lives were saved and made even better by Tzu Chi.

Roberto Lopez’ both eyes were blinded by cataract. A cataract operation costs a minimum of P40,000 and because they cannot afford such expensive treatment, Roberto has given up hope that he would still see again. Until a friend introduced him to Tzu Chi. And just like the rest of the cataract patients who were operated on by TIMA eye experts, Roberto’s eyes were able to see again.

Roberto was asked to share his experience to a larger audience, there at the stage in the gymnasium. Moved by his touching story, somebody approached the volunteers and donated P50,000! More inspirational stories prevailed in the air as the beneficiaries themselves stood as living testimonies of Tzu Chi’s humanitarian efforts.

Zosima and Antonio Castillo, a couple from Tatalon Street, a depressed area in Quezon City, was also one of the beneficiaries of the Foundation. Zosima’s eyes with cataract were operated by TIMA Doctor Antonio Say. After the successful operation of his wife, Antonio extended his gratitude to Tzu Chi by donating P1,500. He also regularly volunteers his time and effort to Tzu Chi’s recycling activities.

Zosima, on the other hand, shared the blessing of knowing Tzu Chi to her neighbors, who, in the long run, also benefited from Tzu Chi’s medical assistance and community services. Eventually, the whole Tatalon community was able to know Tzu Chi in their hearts that they got united in expressing their gratefulness to the Foundation.

Zosima’s best friend, Josephine Artiaga also joined the solicitation. Artiaga’s foot was accidentally pricked by a rusty nail. Tzu Chi helped Josephine by providing her medicines and other health-related needs.

All worth it

When they found out that Tzu Chi will be holding a charity bazaar for the construction of their school, the principal, teachers and students of the TNHS traveled all the way from Albay to attend the event. They too, put up their booth with the best of Albay’s native products and delicacies. An action that even drew sheer admiration from the Tzu Chi volunteers, because they discovered that their beneficiaries do not solely depend on them, but also utilized their own capabilities to help themselves.

The charity bazaar ended with tired bodies but most fulfilled souls. Though it entailed a long string of hard work from the preparation to the actual operation and clean up, knowing that their efforts would pave way for a brighter future for the children of TNHS, Tzu Chi volunteers saw that it was all worth it.