Lin Min
linmin67@126.com
WHILE the Ice Bucket Challenge has made a splash across the globe, a campaign aimed at helping autistic children in Shenzhen is asking you to donate secondhand items, without challenging you to douse yourself with ice water.
The Star Kare donation campaign, launched by Kempinski Hotel Shenzhen in cooperation with Shenzhen Autism Society, is seeking secondhand clothes, handcrafts, toys, books and other items. Donated goods must not be damaged or expired.
The items will be put on sale at Star Kare Flea Market at Coastal City Plaza on Sept. 20. Paintings by autistic children and Star Kare T-shirts will be sold at the Star Kare Art Corner at the hotel’s Lobby Lounge from Sept. 11 to Oct. 24. All proceeds will be donated to Shenzhen Autism Society to help local autistic children. The hotel is also seeking 40 volunteers to support the charity initiative.
Autistic children, often called “children of the stars” after an expression originating from Taiwan, suffer from a range of symptoms that often include slow language development, communication difficulties and an unusually narrow range of interests. It is estimated that Shenzhen has nearly 10,000 autistic children, but the city is ill-equipped to help with their education and medical care.
At present, Yuanping Special Education School, the only government-funded school for disabled children in the city, can only accommodate 700 students, 20 percent of whom are autistic.
Many schools in China refuse to accept autistic children as their teachers are not trained to work with children with special needs and they can be disruptive in class.
Those who wish to donate or act as volunteers can visit www.kempinski.com/shenzhen for more information.
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