The Seng Girls’ Home Backpack Project – Implemented by Shekou International School (SIS)
Last December each individual girl at the Seng Girls’ Training School and Home (SGVTS) received a backpack full of love. Included inside each backpack were new clothes, school supplies and toiletries. The SIS students started the project in September 2011. They had a goal to prepare backpacks for the 112 Seng girls who resided at the SGVTS. In order for the students to reach this goal the SIS Bayside students needed to raise US$5,750 in just a few weeks’ time and they could only do so outside of school time!
The students planned, organized and implemented their ideas to raise funds. Some of the community based activities they planed were: a carnival, a flash mob, socials, sports events, movie and game nights, babysitting services and bake sales. You won’t believe this but the students exceeded their goal and raised US$6,000!
SIS has built its relationship with the Seng Girls’ Training School and Home in various ways throughout the past few years. They have a donation box in their building and have sponsored a SGVTS child. Each year they are very involved in the annual charity auction held on behalf of the Seng girls by organizing fun activities for the Seng girls to do while visiting from Qinghai. SIS also provides transportation for the guests attending the SGVTS Annual Charity Auction.
What a huge challenge it was for the SIS Bayside students to meet their goal but they did it! Captivating International would like to thank each and every SIS student, parent and community member that helped to support their fundraising efforts. It is important to teach our youth the art of “Service Learning”. We thank SIS for their continuous effort in doing so as well as the many other schools and organizations locally and internationally that are instilling the value of helping others in our youth.
We would also like to thank Whalen Furniture Manufacturing Inc. for organizing and paying for the costs associated with transporting the backpacks to the girls’ home. Because of all our supporters we can help more and more girls, and let them to reach out for a better tomorrow.
(pictured: the SIS student leaders who worked tirelessly to direct and manage this wonderful project; SIS students collecting money; Qinghai Seng Girls receiving their individualized back-pack from SIS; excited girls checking out their surprise contents and personal gifts).
January 20, 2012
Fundraiser to help Qinghai girls – a Press Article by Shenzhen Daily
SOME 600 guests from Shenzhen’s expat community flocked to the Futian Shangri-la, Shenzhen to raise money to support the education and development of 120 impoverished girls in Qinghai.
Co-hosted by the Futian Shangri-la, Shenzhen and Captivating International, proceeds from the night went directly to support the work of LOVEQTRA, a Qinghai- registered charity/NPO, passionate about creating vibrant futures for poor girls from Qinghai and Sichuan provinces.
To help promote the fundraising effort, 24 girls from Qinghai traveled by train to perform traditional dance to captivate Shenzhen audiences including Shekou-based international schools, SIS and QSI, proud supporters of the project.
Andrew Colquhoun, co-founder and CEO of Captivating International — a Hong Kong-registered charity, stated, “This is our third year partnering with LOVEQTRA on this project. Each year we continue to be overwhelmed by the growing support offered by Shenzhen residents.”
“A small sacrifice on our part creates a world of possibilities for them. Knowing that you have helped them move from difficult circumstances to being part of a good program focused on giving them a chance at a better life — that’s priceless,” he said.
Captivating International has been collaborating with the Futian Shangri-La, Shenzhen for over two years. It works to match foreign donors with quality Chinese initiatives focused on reducing family poverty and helping disadvantaged children improve their lives. (Maggie Tang)
January 19, 2012
Seng Girls Home-Shekou International School’s (SIS) Winter Bazaar
Shekou International School’s Winter Bazaar is an important annual event, it provides significant help to communities in need. It was held at December 10th, 2012 at the mountainside of Jinshan Villas in Shekou, Shenzhen, China.
It was a beautiful, sunny, winter day. The bazaar showcased delicious foods from around the world. There were home-made goodies from over fifteen countries. Many merchants and local individuals displayed and sold items. Each year this bizarre is famous in Shekou and draws many attendees because of the great selection of food and items for sale.
We thank SIS for providing us an opportunity to sell our newly published English and Chinese bilingual cookbook titled “Our International Kitchen”. Our gorgeous staff, Tracy and Rita sold 12 in 4 hours.
When the bazaar ended a very impressive thing happened. We received a donation of 2,110 RMB from Genius Progress Ltd., This very generous merchant decided to donate all the proceeds raised from the products they sold at the Winter Bazaar to the Seng Girls. Thank you Genius Progress for you donation and willingness to help others! Once again another perfect example of how supportive and wonderful our Shenzhen community is.
December 19, 2011
Futian Shangri-La charity race supporting Seng Girls Home
PRESS RELEASE: FUTIAN Shangri-La, Shenzhen brought the international sport of stair climbing to Shenzhen once again with its second vertical charity race Saturday. Designed to encourage getting exercise, the event raised funds to provide educational support to impoverished students in Captivating International’s Seng Girls’ Vocational Training School and Home (SGVTS). Participants experienced a test of endurance, strength and mental fortitude — climbing from the hotel lobby to the summit, making the race a total vertical distance of 191 meters or 440 steps. A party on the terrace of the Chairman’s Room on level 40 followed the climb. There was a brunch reception, live entertainment and a lucky draw with Shenzhen’s skyline as the backdrop. In line with the hotel’s mission of giving back to the community, 100% of participant entry fees went to Captivating’ s SGVTS program – a school and vocational training site that cares for more than 120 girls and a place of safety that provides refuge for girls rescued from extremely disadvantaged circumstances. The home is located in the southern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China and was established in 2005 to allow girls from “at risk” circumstances to be given the chance to change their lives. The hotel aims to organize the vertical race annually, with charity supporters and fitness enthusiasts returning to take part and beat previous times. For more details, e-mail flying.zhang@shangri-la.com.
December 14, 2011
Being a Captivating Volunteer – an article by Angela Kowalski
I first learned about the Seng Girls’ Home in 2009 when my good friend Lynn Velez told me she was working with our friends Julie and Andrew Colquhoun from Captivating and planning a charity auction to benefit the home. I was taken by how the home got started. A man (Dockpo) and his family had opened their home to these disadvantaged young girls in Qinghai Province and ensured they were safe and cared for. I could not imagine parenting this large family – then about 30 girls. It seemed pretty clear that Dockpo and the home could use some financial support to provide for the girls’ basic needs and their education. I felt compelled to help! My husband Scott agreed and the Seng Girls have been a part of our lives ever since.
When I joined the charity auction team I had no idea how enriched my life would become. I have met and interacted with so many wonderful people – old friends and new friends. Their talents, ideas and resources have helped the auction blossom into an amazing event. I have overcome my discomfort in asking individuals and businesses for donations and I am continuously overwhelmed with the generosity of our donors. Additionally, I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet some of the Seng girls – they are charming, beautiful, hard-working, motivated individuals. All we are doing to support these young women will be rewarded. I look forward to their future accomplishments.
In the two years since that memorable first charity auction at Aulon Wine Bar, the number of Seng girls has grown to 120 and our community’s support has expanded with the need for more resources at the home. It’s awesome!
As we planned the 2nd and 3rd Annual Charity Auctions at the Futian Shangri-La Hotel, it became clear that we would need the help of many volunteers to ensure the success of the events. The artistic, organizational, logistical and detail oriented talents of many individuals are needed to make this event happen. It was great to see so many new volunteers helping at the 3rd Annual Charity Auction! These women and men did a brilliant job and ensured everything went smoothly. Going forward the auction team will need our continued support. I encourage you to volunteer! Let the Seng Girls touch your heart as they have touched mine.
November 1, 2011
The 2011 Seng Girls Vocational School & Home Annual Charity Fundraiser
What an amazing night! Incredible Seng Girls, awesome sponsors and wonderful generosity by our Shenzhen community. We are so thrilled with everything that took place on October 22, and are pleased to share the following news with you.
How did we go? Our 2011 aim has been to raise a total of RMB 2 million for this project (covering annual running costs of the school and home, several construction projects and vocational development). We were banking on our Shenzhen Charity Auction covering 50% of this amount – a goal of RMB1 million.
Total donations for the night came to a grand total of RMB1,009,155. YOU DID IT!!!! The great news is that we now have less than RMB200k to go to meet our annual RMB2million target.
How did this compare to last year’s event? Total donations were up 47% on last year, and with 580 guests attending on the night, there was a 35% increase in attendance. We couldn’t be happier Shenzhen.
I’m sure everyone’s keen to see photos, so apart from this Captivating Blog you can also view photos at the websites of two of our amazing sponsors – Shenzhen Standard and Shenzhen Party. Thank you everyone for taking such wonderful pictures.
Please also keep an eye out for our next issue of Simply Captivating which will have more details and pictures. Once again we want to give huge thanks to our incredible auction committee: Stacey Garretson, Angela Kowalski, Nicole Lewis, April Potterfield, Jeanetta Robinson, Vivian Yuan and of course our wonderful friend, volunteer Project Manager and auction committee chair, Lynn Velez. There are so many more who deserve mention. You know who you are, and we are so exceedingly grateful for all you have done.
What now? We still have RMB200k to raise to meet our RMB2million goal. Here’s how you can still help:
1. VERTICAL MARATHON: Be sure to mark December 10 in your calendar and climb the stairs of the amazing Futian Shangri-La and support the Seng Girls Home at the same time. Contact lynn@captivating.org for more details on this and get your running shoes on.
2. CHILD SPONSORSHIP: We still have many Seng Girls who need sponsors. You can fully sponsor one of these girls for US$80 a month, or half sponsor her for US$40 a month (and we will find another sponsor to do the same). We will update you each year on her progress. To sponsor a child, simply reply to this email and we will contact you.
3. THE INTERNATIONAL COOKBOOK: This is an amazing work of art. RMB280 gets you a copy of this beautiful cook book (English and Chinese). We have copies ready for you NOW. It would make a great gift idea also, so with Christmas just around the corner you’re good to go – and all for a good cause. Thanks to our many incredible cookbook sponsors who covered all preparation and publication costs, 100% of the RMB280 sale price goes to Captivating specifically for the benefit of the Girls Home. To order your copy, email lynn@captivating.org.
Thank you Shenzhen. Feel very very proud of yourselves for making a big difference in the lives of these wonderful Seng Girls.
Andrew & Julie Colquhoun
Founders
CAPTIVATING INTERNATIONAL
August 9, 2011
COMING SOON: A COOKBOOK benefiting the Seng Girls’ Home and School
Stay tuned for the publication of a special COOKBOOK to be released this fall/autumn. Starting as a simple idea, this publication has become a work of art – full of family favorite recipes to die for. Prepared in both English and Chinese, this will be a great addition to any kitchen. Stay tuned for more details. This has been the result of over 40 volunteers and sponsoring organizations from Shenzhen China. Thanks to their efforts, 100% of the sale proceeds will benefit the Girls Home.
August 9, 2011
The Wonderful Seng Girl’s Vocational Training School & Home (“SGVTS”) Now caring for 120 girls…
This project continues to shine and it is such a joy to partner with and support LOVEQTRA, the Chinese approved agency that started this program. This project is achieving amazing things for girls from the remote Qinghai Province. It operates with the full support of the Qinghai government who has been so supportive of this program from the start.
As of now, the Seng Girls Vocational Training School and Home (SGVTS) is at capacity with 100 girls living and going to school on site. In addition, 20 girls have relocated from the SGVTS to start intensive language schooling or vocational development programs in other areas of China (Beijing, Sichuan, Guangdong). Our desire is to see more girls progressively move away from the SGVTS and join these vocational development initiatives as they are put in place. These programs are all about what is best for the girls. As more girls move to these outside vocational programs, this frees up spaces for new qualifying girls to join the SGVTS. Because of this strategy, today the SGVTS program supports a total of 120 girls.
The SGVTS is a big budget program for Captivating and one that could not continue if it were not for the incredible efforts of donors, child sponsors, and volunteers. Lynn Velez, pictured below, leads this program for Captivating and, along with her growing team of volunteers, are simply AMAZING. October 2010 saw 450 guests dress up in evening wear to support this program. Our annual charity auction is considered to be the biggest foreign “Party of the Year” in Shenzhen. The proceeds from this event, along with child sponsorship and other SGVTS donations make it possible for us to ensure we can meet the operating and development budgets of the SGVTS. Critical to this mix is Whalen Manufacturing Inc and some of its executives (pictured below) and staff. In 2010 Whalen supported a staggering 30% of our total budget, enabling us to achieve everything on our wish list for the SGVTS when combined with all other donors, child sponsors and supporters. Their continuous support and commitment to this project gives all of us the energy and enthusiasm to move aggressively ahead each year. Thank you and everyone for your generosity.
SAVE THE DATE: October 22, 2011 – Our next Charity Auction in Shenzhen.
Be sure to keep up to date with news of this project by following our website blog or following us on our FACEBOOK PAGE (just search ‘Captivating International’).
(Pictured: Lynn receiving special artwork and thanks by Yeshe Tsomo at the Charity Auction; While in Shenzhen, the girls danced and sang for QSI & SIS international schools as well as thrilling guests at the Auction event; “Uncle” Dockpo was the man who started this project in 2005. He come to Shenzhen for the Auction last year with 17 of the girls;
August 9, 2011
Our Qinghai girls singing the cold away
Singing and dancing is something all the girls at the Seng Girls Home enjoy. It may be -20 °C outside, but lots of girls singing together keeps everyone warm. There are now 98 girls living at the home and government licensed Vocational Training School, with another 20 girls supported in various training schools around China. Check out http://www.captivating.org/blog/category/seng-girls-home/ for blog updates on this wonderful project.
June 20, 2011
Seng Girl’s Home Update – June 2011
Read about the wonderful progress being made with this project – now supporting 120 girls. Qinghai SGVTS update June 2011
February 25, 2011
We are the World – Shekou students and Qinghai girls sing of unity and hope
Captivating International’s Seng Girls Charity Auction in Shenzhen buzzed when students from the two International Schools of Shekou (QSI & SIS) teamed up with 17 visiting girls from Qinghai to sing out a song of unity and hope. The 400+ crowd of supporters and guests were in awe and this song set the tone for an amazing night of generosity in support of 100 girls at LOVEQTRA’s Girl’s Home in Qinghai. Captivating thanks all those who took part in this event, with special thanks to the choir members and Kristin and Melody – choirs leaders from both schools.
December 23, 2010
Seng Girl’s Home promotion – to the music of Jeremy Hall
Captivating International partner with LOVEQTRA to bring hope and a future to 100 impoverished girls living in remote Qinghai Province, China. Check out why we are so passionate about these girls and this project.
November 4, 2010
Seng Girls Perform at Captivating Charity Auction – Shenzhen Oct 16
Over 400 guests were captivated by several beautifully presented performances by girls from the Seng Girls Vocational Training School and Home.
Visiting Shenzhen to perform at a Charity Auction co-hosted by the Futian Shangri-la and Captivating International, 17 girls from remote Qinghai Province demonstrated to the world that poverty and a difficult upbringing is no barrier to skill, beauty and genuine happiness.
Funds from the night were raised to support the work of LOVEQTRA, a Chinese registered charity of Qinghai, who work with the support of the Chinese government to address the needs of at-risk girls in remote locations of Qinghai.
Captivating International is thrilled to partner with LOVEQTRA bringing hope and a future to 100 girls at this project.
November 4, 2010
The Ultimate “thank-you” speech
Listen to Pema Lhamo from the Seng Girl’s Home give a thank-you speech at the Oct 16 Captivating Seng Girls Charity Auction in Shenzhen. She wowed the audience with superb English.
Two years ago, Pema Lhamo spoke only Tibetan and a little Chinese. Her speech was prepared collectively by many of the girls from the Girls Home. All contributed their thoughts about what they wanted to say to those who help and support them.
This was an absolute highlight and confirms the impact programs like these bring.
October 29, 2010
The 2010 Seng Girls Vocational School & Home Annual Charity Fundraiser
What an incredible night! What amazing girls. What generous supporters. Our huge thanks to everyone involved, with special thanks to the organizing committee, donors, and sponsors who made this event possible. Although almost two weeks has passed since the event, we still find ourselves calculating the final results of the night and responding to enquiries from people who want to do more to help. We have been literally quite overwhelmed by it all – it is simply fantastic!
Please take a moment to relive, or enjoy for the first time, the wonderful night in pictures below.
June 17, 2010
Shekou Youth Group Gives Back
100 hand-made bed sheets for 100 Qinghai girls
As planned, the SGVTS has grown and now houses 90 girls. One of the needs for the Seng Girls Home was to provide these beautiful girls with a place to lay their heads at night. Thanks to the LDS Young Women’s Group in Shekou, China, the girls now have handmade bedding. This youth group consists of girls ranging in age from 13-16 who can relate to how wonderful it is to have pretty bedding to sleep on at night. The youth group went to the local fabric market and picked out all the materials needed to create 100 sets of sheets. They cut and sewed each one by hand. This truly is a project created out of love!