19 Perth Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth, Certified members and Volunteers gathered on a humid day to provide entertainment at the Burmese Food Fete held on 23 January 2011 at the Mingala Thukha Vihara Monastery in Girrawheen, Perth. The main purpose of the food fete was to raise donations for the devastating floods that had hit Queensland about two weeks earlier. In order to liven up the day’s festivities, the Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth were invited to provide entertainment.
The Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth was invited on the 15th of January 2011, giving the Collegiate Youth exactly one week to prepare a one hour-long program. Thus, the youth met on Monday evening, Wednesday evening and Saturday morning to rehearse. In such a short timeframe, preparations for four Tzu Chi songs were undertaken. “One Family,” “Happy/Blessed Face,” “Love and Care for All” and “Dad and the Buffalo” were chosen to reflect the theme of the day as well as to create a light-hearted, interactive atmosphere. It was a huge effort for volunteers who were both new to Tzu Chi and unfamiliar with Tzu Chi’s sign-language culture. Thus, to be able to learn all the songs in one week, and perform it shows the dedication and determination Perth Tzu Chi members and volunteers had for this event.
There were many people in attendance at the fete. Many varieties of Burmese food were sold – from samosas to traditional Burmese noodle soup. The fete was from 9am till 2pm. Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth provided an hour of sign-language performances and a presentation about the Queensland floods and Tzu Chi’s involvement with the relief efforts.
Not only was Perth Tzu Chi’s goal to provide entertainment, but also to bring awareness of Tzu Chi to the community. Through the sign-language performances, Perth Tzu Chi hoped to share the message that we (everyone) are all one family, and we need to love and care for each other. Aside from the performances and presentation, a photo slideshow of the Queensland floods and Tzu Chi’s relief efforts was shown on repeat throughout the day. This helped people put an identity to the organisation, and to grasp where the donations would go. Additionally, Tzu Chi information booklets, the Perth Tzu Chi newsletter and Tzu Chi English quarterly magazines were handed out to the fete attendees. Perth Tzu Chi also took the opportunity to invite people to join Tzu Chi’s prayer for those affected by the Queensland floods held on 30 January 2011. At the end of the day, Tzu Chi collected a total of AU$4,419 – in which $2,929 was from food sales and $1,490 was from personal donations.
For Perth Tzu Chi, the one-week preparation proved that the “Just do it” and “Where there is a will there is a way” rings true. With such attitude and dedication from Perth Tzu Chi, a light-hearted yet informative program was “just right” for the occasion. The whole event was thoroughly enjoyed by both Perth Tzu Chi and the attendees.
