YK Pao School student donors and teachers at the Sowing Seeds Primary School
YK Pao School's Primary Division has once again teamed up with the Giving Tree project, a well-known local charity headed by Community Center Shanghai that has been delivering winter clothing and school supplies to underprivileged students and teachers since 2003. Through the Giving Tree Project, Pao School students had the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of migrant students by providing them with much-needed items for the coming winter months.
This year, YK Pao School has partnered with the Sowing Seeds Primary School, located in Pudong's Tang Town, Shanghai. Students attending Sowing Seeds Primary School are mainly from Anhui, Jiangsu, Sichuan, and Yunnan. Their parents are employed in nearby factories and construction sites, and hold other low-income jobs. Most of these families live in single-room dwellings with no heating or indoor plumbing.
On November 17, 2015, YK Pao School student donors and Sowing Seeds students came together at the Sowing Seeds Primary School campus, where the Giving Tree ceremony promptly began. After warm speeches from Giving Tree charity staff as well as YK Pao School Primary Division Executive Principal Michael Spencer and Sowing Seeds Principal Mr Deng, Sowing Seeds students showed their appreciation and gratitude with a dance performance, while Pao School students performed a stirring rendition of ‘What I Am.’ All participants then joined together for the Giving Tree Song. Our Pao School donors then personally distributed Giving Tree gift bags containing important supplies, including a school bag, winter clothing and school supplies, to all 500 students at Sowing Seeds.
Pao School student donors perform ‘What I Am’
The Giving Tree project was an excellent opportunity for students to give back to communities less fortunate than their own, helping students learn about the spirit of giving and the importance of showing generosity to those in need. Mr Spencer expressed his sincere thanks to the parent committee ‘The Characters’ as well as the Pao School student council for generously donating their time to preparing gift bags for Sowing Seeds. He also noted the event as an important cultural and life experience for students: 'It is always a fascinating learning opportunity when students from different backgrounds and experiences meet with one another. It helps us to learn that whilst there may be many differences between people, essentially, we all want the same things – to be loved, to be safe and to be successful.'
Pao School Primary Division Executive Principal Michael Spencer distributes Giving Tree bags to Sowing Seeds students
