
On June 1, at least three tornadoes struck Springfield, a city with a population of 150,000 in western Massachusetts. The tornadoes left three people dead and hit more than 1,000 homes, of which 319 were completely destroyed and nearly 600 so badly damaged that they will collapse if they are not repaired quickly. Most survivors live in poor neighborhoods, making a bad situation even worse. On June 2, the volunteers Sean Chen, Vict Ying, and Jennifer Ying went to the affected area to assess the damage. Working closely with the Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), a government agency, they planned to draw up a detailed list of victims in the shortest time possible and provide them with the help they needed. On June 8, FEMA held a conference with the Red Cross, Tzu Chi Foundation and other charity organizations; together, Tzu Chi offered to provide monetary assistance to a portion of those affected. Then the foundation’s Boston service center mobilized volunteers to visit affected people, many of Hispanic origin, and help them to fill up application. Between June 18 and June 24, Jennifer and others volunteers called each of those who had registered to remind them to come for the distribution.


At 1 p.m., the door was opened and the recipients entered quickly; soon there was no empty seat and some had to stand. Since most of them had never heard of Tzu Chi, volunteer Vict Ying held a brief opening ceremony and explained the origin and history of the foundation. Then two volunteers, Alex Ying and Emily Huang, read out the Master Cheng Yen's letter of sympathy, one in English and another in Spanish. Initially, the attendants were anxious about the cash cards but their hearts were melted by the warmth of their reception. They listened attentively to the words of Master Cheng Yen. Then everyone stood up to sing together.

During the event, 45 affected families walked in to fill up new applications. It is in the process of arranging a second distribution on July 2.
Newer news items:
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Older news items:
- Volunteers Bring Food, Clothes to 7,000 Flood Evacuees in Manila
- Tzu Chi Completes Building of Mosque in Jakarta School
- Four-Language Jing-Si Aphorisms for Hotel
- Filipino Volunteers Store Rice from Taiwan