NCCC 2023 Annual Send Warmth To People With Disabilities
The spring of 2023 in Toronto was another heartwarming and touching season for New Canadian Community Centre’s senior friends with disability. They received special love and essential goods from NCCC. In this rather cold spring, these seniors felt extra loving and caring and less vulnerable to the loneliness of the warmth NCCC sent.
The NCCC is registered in Toronto and has thousands of active members. It was established to serve senior Chinese Canadians wholeheartedly. The president, Haifeng Yang, has been upholding this mission for many years. He has consistently served this community for over 20 years since the association was founded. He deems that sending greetings and essential goods to the ones in need – seniors with disabilities – is one of the important tasks the NCCC must carry out this year’s spring.
In March, after careful calculations, the presidents of each branch reported that there were 25 members with disabilities in NCCC. These members are older and not in ideal condition, they need NCCC and society’s extra attention. To help them, NCCC started to prepare this sending warmth program in mid-March 2023. First, the branches reported and registered all members with disabilities and collected their basic information, such as addresses and contact information. After they completed the paperwork, President Yang assigned the full-time volunteers, Ms. Xing and Ms. Huang, to send the greetings and goods to their homes.
It took a week to do all of the visits because these senior friends live in many different neighbourhoods in Toronto. During the visit, Ms. Xing and Ms. Huang communicated in-depth with each senior to understand their physical condition, living habits and needs. This will set the ground for NCCC to provide more specific and suitable services to them. During visits, Ms. Xing not only sent the love and warmth of NCCC but also helped and supported these senior friends in practice.
The event was made possible by the support of the Canadian Red Cross, which provided us with material support, demonstrating that caring for people with disabilities is one of the fundamental national policies of the Canadian government.
Receiver’s gratitude is beyond their words after receiving the greetings and essential goods from NCCC. They expressed their gratitude through various channels. Some receivers took pictures with Ms. Xing, the volunteer who sent the condolences, to remember NCCC’s help. They deem the warmth sent by NCCC as a good deed and warm care, making them feel remembered and secure.
Through this sending warmth program, NCCC once again contributes to the positive influences of caring for the disadvantaged and supporting social welfare. At the same time, it also makes us realize more deeply that everyone can face difficulties and challenges at some stage of life, so we need to give as much help and support to others as we can.
Seniors with disabilities are part of society and need our attention and support. We hope that through this sending warmth program, we can draw more people’s attention to the life and needs of people with disabilities to work together to warm society.
By Ruihong Li, NCCC Reporter
March 30, 2023
Feedback from seniors with disabilities who received greetings and essential goods:
Dear leaders of NCCC and the North Sunset Branch of NCCC:
Thank you so much for your care for people with disabilities and for sending us such warmth and food tirelessly. Your services made us feel that NCCC is like a warm family. Thank you again for your care and dedication to us!
Wenjie Cui
Two days ago, at 7:00 pm, NCCC and the North Sunset Branch’s volunteers drove to my door and brought me rice, noodles, green beans and other goods. I am very grateful to NCCC and the North Sunset Branch for their thoughtfulness and hard work.
Xiujuan Sun, a person with a disability
My husband is 86 years old and has been cognitively impaired by dementia since last year. He regularly gets help from the care of Mr. Teng from the NCCC branch, and today he received greetings and essential goods from NCCC, which our family appreciated! Thank you, NCCC, for caring for older people with disabilities! Thanks again!
Dear leaders of NCCC:
I am very touched by your greetings and the essential good gifts. I feel incredibly warm and happy living in such a big, loving family. I would like to express my gratitude to the leaders of NCCC and Li Shuqin, the president of the 16th Street Branch! Thank you for your care and hard work.
Yu-Fu Lee is a new member of the 16th Street Branch. “Thank you very much to President Yang and the Senior Division: your love makes me happy, like feeling warmth in winter and coolness in summer. Thank you again, President Yang, Mr. Li, and Ms. Xing Yan. Thanks for your hard work!”
President Rongrong Yuan, please kindly pass on my message to President Haifeng Yang of NCCC! Thank you for the leadership of the Senior Division! Special thanks to Ms. Xing: Thank you for reaching out to care for us, the people with disabilities, despite the bad weather and other difficulties. You insisted on transmitting your love to us. Your dedication very touches me, and thank you very much!
— Xiangyu Zhang March 31, 2023
I am a volunteer at NCCC Choir. When I received all these sumptuous food and essential items from NCCC’s staff, I was in tears and felt mixed emotions: NCCC is a non-profit organization. Where did these essential goods come from? It was all collected from the community and society by the president, and they are from good deeds. My family, relatives and friends in China learned of this situation and were all amazed by and praised the good work of NCCC. The NCCC is not concerned with those with power and money but with the underprivileged from the bottom of society. The NCCC choir will carry forward this good tradition of the NCCC, which has won people’s hearts, and do our best to help and care for the struggling older people in our group. Thank you, NCCC!
This morning, we received warm care and essential good gifts from NCCC and NCCC Yi Feng Branch volunteers. We thank the leaders and volunteers of NCCC and NCCC Yi Feng Branch for making our lives happy and joyful in a foreign country through various activities. Thank you, thank you for all your efforts!
My name is Qiuqin Jiao, and I have physical disabilities. Yesterday I received a generous gift from the NCCC Yi Feng Branch, and I feel very warm in my heart. We are in a foreign country, but we have good relations, and we, seniors with disabilities, are well taken care of. So I feel very happy; in this big family, our life is full of sunshine, thanks to NCCC Yi Feng Branch! Thank you, President Liu!
Shortly before, I received some essential goods from a lady called Xing from NCCC. Please convey our sincere thanks to NCCC! Despite their busy schedule, they had a lot of work to do, but they still remembered us and brought essential goods and warmth to our door. Society did not abandon me because of my physical disability, but I am cared for and helped by the social organization NCCC! Thank you, President Haifeng Yang, and leaders and volunteers at all levels for all your efforts.
— Xuejian Ji
NCCC leaders, NCCC Senior Division, thank you for your hard work, hearts, and caring for people with disabilities. Regardless of the long distance, bad weather, and difficulties, you insist on transmitting love to our door, to our hand. I am very touched. Our hearts are warmed. Thank you for your hard work!
The above is what Shuzhen Yu asked me to forward to President Yang. The rest are told by two members and recorded by me: “Yesterday, Ms. Xing visited my home early in the morning in the cold with many essential goods. We chatted, and I deeply felt the warmth from NCCC through their offers to help the weak and poor. Mr. Wu said that NCCC has always been compassionate and caring, and over the past few years, it has never forgotten to help people with disabilities and ensure that we stay warm through the winter! NCCC passed their goodwill to us and helped us find our passion for living. Thank you for the hard work of the leadership of the Senior Division! Thank you to the volunteer for their love and dedication!”
“This morning, I received gifts from the leaders of NCCC and Fenghua Branch! This is a thank you message from Xiudian Zhang of Fenghua TaiChi. Thank you for your warmth and kindness, which made me feel love from society. Thank you so much to President Yang, Mr. Li and all the leaders of NCCC for their kindness! It makes us disadvantaged people feel warm and happy. I am deeply touched!”
Thank you very much!
