Leaving a life-saving footprint on North York General Hospital

Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation (Tzu Chi) was founded in 1966 by Dharma Master Cheng Yen on the rural east coast of Taiwan. Over the years, Tzu Chi, which is mainly volunteer-based, has done charitable and humanitarian work in over 100 countries, adhering to its four main causes of Charity, Medicine, Education and Humanity. Since 1994, Tzu Chi Toronto branch volunteers have brought the essence of Buddhism into practice by delivering charitable services across the Greater Toronto Area.

Chi-Cheng, Interim Chief Information Officer at North York General Hospital (NYGH) and a volunteer with the Tzu Chi Foundation, approached key members of the foundation on April 20, 2020, about supporting the hospital after seeing firsthand the urgent need for specific equipment to directly help COVID patients. What transpired after was amazing.

There was a buzz of communication through texts, emails and phone calls, with all the members eager and interested in supporting North York General Hospital. Local Toronto members each contributed $500 and/or members grouped together to give what they could. In just four days, Tzu Chi Toronto exceeded their initial $50,000 goal, raising an incredible $75,200!

The Foundation says “Our spirit is sincerity, integrity, faith and honesty.” Based on the outcome of this initiative, this couldn’t be more true. The foundation’s spirit for this project has been so sincere, and they wanted to help COVID-19 patients in need.

According to the Tzu Chi Foundation’s website, “Working together to carry out the missions and pass on the tradition, we are going to leave our footprints today, and our coming generations will be proud of what we are doing.” This statement certainly rings true, as they will leave their footprint on North York General Hospital with the life-saving medical equipment that we will be able to purchase thanks to them.