Gary Wang, president of the Eastern Group, has long been committed to public welfare. He has been promoting “Breakfasts Made of Love” for more than 12 years. As a result, he is called “Papa Eastern” by children in rural communities. Today(10/24), we invited ETMall spokespersons Jacky Wu and Sandy to visit Baiji Elementary School in Daxi District, Taoyuan, to make breakfast for the children in the Atayal community. After enjoying the breakfast, everyone sang and danced together, and everyone had a ton of fun!
Papa Eastern Gary Wang, Jacky Wu, and Sandy were given a warm welcome when they arrived at Baiji Elementary School, Fuxing Township, Taoyuan County. The three did not only make dumplings, French toasts, and rice balls in person, but also delivered the food to each grade one by one. The children praised today’s breakfast and said it was particularly delicious. Every child prepared a thank-you card to express their gratitude to Papa Eastern, and some children also presented their hand-made bouquets to show their gratitude.
Chi-chien in fifth grade has a very lively personality, he said to Papa Eastern: “Thank you so much for providing the Breakfasts Made of Love, and passing on so much energy in the morning, so that we can be energetic in class.” Yang-ting also cleverly quoted song lyrics: “Sharing happiness with you is better than owning it alone!” He wanted to thank Eastern’s Breakfasts Made of Love that lets him and his classmates go to school happily every day. Gary Wang was very moved by their gratitude: “Eastern is giving you love now, and we hope that when you grow up, you can give this happiness to others”.
After enjoying the Breakfasts Made of Love, everyone gathered together to sing about the sunshine and light rain. The children did not feel shy at all as they showered Papa Eastern with affection. As Papa Eastern rarely leaves the metropolitan area to enjoy the fresh air and warm sunshine in the mountains and forests, he was feeling very playful and danced the Atayal dances together with the children. The parents from the indigenous communities also gave a performance of the gospel song “Born to Love”, and everyone present felt genuine joy and happiness.
Jacky Wu, the king of variety entertainment, was also very popular amongst the children due to the program “Mr. Player”. Through this activity, he experienced the warmth in doing public welfare work. He also encouraged the children: “Although this is a rural area, I hope that you will be more courageous and express your opinions, and fight for your rights!” Jacky Wu also promised to arrange a show at Baiji Elementary School in the future, where the children will be invited to participate in the challenges. This announcement instantly made the children go wild with excitement!
Sandy shared her own experiences with the children. She used to be an English teacher and now a TV host. Next year, she will publish a book as a writer. She hopes that the children will move forward with courage to make their dreams come true, and become the most beautiful version of themselves.
Eastern Charity Foundation, which has long been paying close attention to issues of the rural indigenous communities, has been promoting the “Breakfasts Made of Love” for 13 years. Through the granting of funds, it enables schools to have the ability to provide delicious “Breakfasts Made of Love” daily, successfully driving up children’s willingness to go to school, and even helping to improve their learning abilities. More than 25,000 students from rural communities have benefited from this initiative. The funding for the program started with Gary Wang’s personal donation. Later, it gained the approval and support of ETMall members, with up to 70% of the members donating invoices when shopping with ETMall. This act of generosity allows Breakfasts Made of Love to have sufficient funding to be extended to all elementary schools in the rural communities around Taiwan. Children will be able to have a hot breakfast in the morning before beginning a full day of learning.
Following on from Breakfasts Made of Love, ETMall has also launched a “Love Charity Donation Platform” in 2018. It sets up a designated area where ETMall members can voluntarily donate items needed by children in rural communities, and the donated items are sent directly to the schools. Some of the requested items donated include computers, musical instruments, and sports equipment. These donations help fulfill the children’s hopes and dreams in different ways. We would like to thank the support given by the kindhearted people from all walks of life. At the same time, the hope is that the children can make good use of these tools, and when they grow up, give back to society and pass on the love they once received.