Giving Underprivileged Angels Their First Christmas

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Christmas is for kids and giving, and this year my fellow editors and I were privileged to watch 88 young Chinese student-athletes experience Christmas for the first time. The Beijing-based Power Baseball Angels Project is comprised of left-behind children who, under the tutelage of former Olympic Baseball Coach Sun Lingfeng live, study, and practice in the city's Tongzhou District. Since its founding, these talented kids have represented China’s youth league all over the world including in Japan and the US.

Last year, American expat principal Memo Matta started volunteering with the school, hoping to improve the children’s educational options and potential for university scholarships down the line. You can read more about his story here.

When Coach M – as the kids call him – reached out to the Beijing community for help giving these students a last-minute Christmas the response was overwhelming. Jingkids readers collected used books to help stock their library and National Geographic pledged new books which will arrive in January. Daystar Academy students collected gifts for the children, students at No. 80 High School write cards, and Peach by Hulu, Witch Mars, and Shopsmith all donated cookies, cakes, pies, and candy.

As we stood passing out gifts to children ranging in age from 6-16 we couldn’t help but notice how kind and disciplined they were, lining up and patiently waiting to receive a gift. Each said a polite thank you and some even bowed! Everyone held on to their present until every child in the room had one. When they finally ripped into the paper they were excited and proud to show each other what they had received: colored pencils, hoodies, shoes, erasers, and backpacks. These everyday staples for most of our kids were now treasured items. It was truly a gift to watch.

But now that Christmas is over we want to make sure we don’t forget these kids. The school still has so many needs that haven’t been met. More classrooms still need to be built, medical and dental visits still need to be provided and so many other day to day expenses need to be covered. If you have a resource or time to spare, you can contact Zoe Liu at [e-mail] or WeChat zoliuzo for more information, or scan the QR code below to make a financial donation to the foundation account.

It was stressed over and over again that the biggest need is volunteers to teach. You do not need to be certified or even a traditional educator. English speaking high school students, so-called “trailing spouses,” or anyone else willing to donate one day a month will be provided training and curriculum. All you need to know how to do is give your time. If you are interested in more information about volunteering to teach you can contact me at the QR code below.

Happy holidays everyone. May your days be warm and may the new year be bright!

Images: Power Baseball Angels

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