JUNE 5^{th ,}  2010, MINHANG

RIVER OF HEARTS SORTING PARTY RECAP

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It was the classic rookie mistake. Thinking of the 2 days ROH event as another version of any other sorting party!

It all began last April when the British International School Shanghai in Minhang offered to hold the last River Of Hearts sorting party of the 2010 academic year and the 30^th party since 2003. Our scouting team had inspected the premises to find a pleasantly quiet and state of the art campus behind a busy countryside village complete with congested narrow streets lined up with fruit vendors and gigantic overpass that shaded the countryside and dwarfed the traffic.

The campus had all the key elements to organize a successful sorting party. However, in this secluded area, 25 km from the city center, we wondered how convenient it would be for volunteers to reach the School. BISS administrative staff, Kerry and Kelly assured us that BISS School would assist ROH in every way in and off campus. A shuttle bus was made available throughout the day that would travel from the East Xujing subway station to the campus. And with that, we were set.

ROH’s big events usually start the afternoon before the sorting party, when container trucks map their journey through every drop-off location in Puxi and Pudong to collect bags, boxes and small furniture. Thankfully, back at the school sixty, year 10-11 students were challenged by their teacher Nic Tanner to extend their time on campus and help unload five trucks which by 4 pm remained stuck in traffic. When they arrived, willing students, turned edgy by the wait, transformed the chore into a fun activity, the way only teens can do!

On Saturday, a Gideon’s band of twenty die-hard BISS students showed that they were no “accidental” volunteers and joined 50 Morgan Stanley employees and 30 “Project Abroad” volunteers. In addition, 50 ROH friends including a group of Indonesian Students who came for the first time, Bean dynamic Volunteers group and students from other schools (SCIS, SAS, SNU, YCIS etc) ensured that the 30^th ROH sorting party will be one party to remember on the BISS Minhang campus.

Since no party is a party without food, we take this opportunity to thank Trenchers (second time to help with 50 healthy wholesome and awesome sandwiches) and Amazing Grace (Grace Leow took five minutes to decide to partner with ROH and contribute 100 lunch boxes. We met Grace, we met Amazing) restaurants for providing the much appreciated lunch for these fantastic and hungry volunteers as well as Michelle Masella’s Ayi who cooked delicious Chinese food that was well appreciated by our Chinese and international volunteers alike.

In all and in spite of numerous challenges that test the character and the commitment of every volunteer, 40 cubic meters of items were collected and sorted into 420 bags and 60 boxes that would soon make their way to South Yunnan near the Burmese border. A school of 2000 children and their parents living in hilltop villages are eagerly anticipating to be the recipients of generous givers from Shanghai. In addition, a group of Migrants Students collected a busload of appliances, suitcases and clothes which will be distributed among their 300 fellow classmates.

ROH coordinators   

Email:

rohshanghai@gmail.com

Alternative website address:

www.communitycenter.cn