Salute Frontline Heroes on 5/11/2020

Heartwarming events came to a successful conclusion on May 11th.

A month ago, at the initiative of The Woodlands Chinese Cultural Center (TWCCC), and with the response from organizations such as The Woodlands Chinese School, North Houston Chinese Association, and Houston Asian Chamber of Commerce, the North Houston area launched an event to warm and honor frontline heroes, primarily consisting of local Chinese and six restaurants. The participating restaurants were Bloofin Sushi & Bar, Shogun Japanese Grill and Sushi Bar – Woodlands, China Bridge Restaurant, Atsumi Asian Kitchen and Sushi Bar, DrinkabiliTea Café, and Spicy Cuisine. After a month of preparation and coordination, approximately $56,000 worth of gift cards and nearly $3,000 in cash, along with protective equipment valued at around $2,000, were collected. The Woodlands Chinese School specially designed heartwarming cards, where students expressed their gratitude and admiration for frontline healthcare workers with heartfelt words.

After confirming the number of nurses with major hospitals in The Woodlands, 3,000 heartwarming cards and 3,100 meal vouchers were prepared and delivered on May 11th, the day before International Nurses Day, to the following medical institutions:
Memorial Hermann- Woodlands (1150)
Conroe Regional Healthcare Center (750)
St. Luke’s – Woodlands (650)
St. Luke’s – Springwood Village (100)
Maxim Healthcare Services (20)
Chinese Nurses Group (100)
Other individual healthcare workers (30)
At the same time, with support from the Asian Chamber of Commerce, Airi Poke & Ramen presented 200 bowls of steaming ramen and bubble tea to Methodist Hospital – Woodlands at noon on the same day, along with our 200 heartwarming cards.

The managers of each medical institution expressed their sincere gratitude for such a meaningful heartwarming event, repeatedly stating that it was not only a recognition of the nurses’ work but also a spiritual encouragement. Facing the pandemic, they felt empowered by the strong support of the community!

Nurses cherished the heartwarming cards, savoring each word of gratitude from the children with smiles of love on their faces. Children actively participated in this heartwarming event, designing heartfelt card images and expressing admiration and gratitude for the heroism of healthcare workers through words. One particularly touching message was from a 9-year-old named Daniel: “You are my superheroes, you are saving the world! When I grow up, I want to be a doctor too. For now, I’ll stay home for you.” Children were inspired and grew through participating in community activities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought hardship to the restaurant industry, but it did not diminish the gratitude of restaurant owners towards frontline healthcare workers. Initially, the heartwarming event planned to purchase gift cards from various restaurants through donations to help increase their business revenue. However, they voluntarily chose to donate gift cards to express gratitude to healthcare workers, with the expiry date set for six months. Healthcare workers sincerely thanked them for their donations and expressed their intention to bring their families and inform friends to dine at their restaurants. Interestingly, one hospital has already contacted a restaurant owner for potential future cooperation.

The Woodlands’ heartwarming event brought unexpected results: spreading love, and receiving even more love in return. Love is the foundation of our community and the source of our community’s strength. A better world is created together, starting from our community!

Here, heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in the heartwarming event!

中文翻译：

暖心活动在5月11日顺利地降下了帷幕。

一个月前，在林城中国文化中心倡导下，在林城中文学校，北休斯敦华人协会，和休斯敦亚商会等组织的响应下，北休斯敦地区以当地华人和6家餐馆为主干，开展了为护士送温暖和向前线英雄致敬的活动。6家餐馆是Bloofin Sushi & Bar, Shogun Japanese Grill and Sushi Bar – Woodlands, China Bridge Restaurant, Atsumi Asian Kitchen and Sushi Bar, DrinkabiliTea Café, 和Spicy Cuisine。经过一个月的筹备和准备，收到价值$56,000的礼卡和将近$3000现金，以及价值$2000左右的防护用品。林城中文学校特别设计了暖心卡，学生们用他们炙热的心给前线医务人员写下了感激赞美之词。

在与林城各大医院联系确定护士人数后，制出了3000个暖心卡和3100张餐劵，已在5月11日国际护士节前一天，送到以下医疗机构：
Memorial Hermann- Woodlands (1150)
Conroe Regional Healthcare Center (750)
St. Luke’s – Woodlands (650)
St. Luke’s – Springwood Village (100)
Maxim Healthcare Services (20)
华人护士群 (100)
其他个人医务人员 (30)
同时在亚商会声援$2000下，Airi Poke & Ramen于当天中午为Methodist Hospital –Woodlands 献上200份香喷喷的拉面和波霸奶茶，并附上我们的200个暖心卡。

各医疗机构的主管们非常感谢这么有意义的暖心活动，一再表示这不仅仅是对护士们的工作肯定，更是一种在精神上的鼓励。面对疫情不孤单，背后有社区强大支持，感到有无比的力量！

护士们对暖心卡爱不释手，细细品嚼着孩子们的每一条感谢话语，脸上洋溢着爱的微笑。孩子们在这次暖心活动中积极参与，非常用心地设计出暖心卡图片，并用文字对医务人员的英雄行为，表达出钦佩和感激之情。特别感触一位叫Daniel的9岁小朋友写的一段话，“你们是我的超级英雄，你们拯救了世界！长大了我也要当医生。现在为你们，我好好地待在家里。”孩子们在参与社区活动中被激励和成长。

新冠病毒大流行导致餐馆业萧条，但并没有影响餐馆老板们对前线医务人员表达他们的感激之情。最初暖心活动打算通过捐款方式购买各餐馆的礼卡，帮助餐馆增加营业收入，但是他们却主动提出以捐礼卡形式来感谢医务人员，并把礼卡的有效期定为半年。医务人员们对他们的捐赠付出表示衷心感谢，并同时表示会带家人，和告知朋友们多去他们的餐馆就餐。最有意思的是有一家医院已经给一家餐馆老板联系方式，希望他们今后有进一步的合作可能。

林城暖心活动带来意想不到的结果：送出爱心，却得到更多的爱心回报。爱心是构成社区的基础，也是社区力量的所在。美好的世界是共同创造的，从社区做起吧！

在这里对所有参与暖心活动的人士表示衷心的感谢！