In the cold wind, volunteers embark on a charity hike.
At 15:00 on November 25, warm applause erupted on the campus of Neiqiu County No. 2 Middle School in Xingtai City. After a 26-kilometer charity hike to raise donations, university students from the Xingtai RE Yiyang Volunteer Team and some kind-hearted individuals finally arrived at the school. They were there to raise funds for two junior high school students from impoverished families at Neiqiu No. 2 Middle School.
At 07:30 that day, more than 10 Xingtai volunteers set off together from the north gate of Xingtai University, traveling via Quanbei Street and National Highway 107 to reach Neiqiu County. Along the way, they walked and raised donations, attracting the attention of many citizens. Upon hearing that they were raising money for underprivileged middle school students, people generously contributed. “I support public welfare activities!” Acts of kindness unfolded along the route.
Neiqiu No. 2 Middle School is a key junior high school in Neiqiu County, with most of its students coming from rural areas of the county. Earlier this month, the volunteers learned that two junior high school students at the school were facing severe financial hardship, and they wanted to help these students through a public welfare initiative. Since most of the volunteers were students with no income, they opted for a fundraising method involving a long-distance hike.
Among the volunteers, the most eye-catching were the brothers Xie Pingyun and Xie Pingran. They are cousins — Xie Pingyun, the younger one, is an elementary school student in Xingtai, while his cousin Xie Pingran is a junior high school student. On July 9 of this year, the two set out from Xingtai and, over the course of 19 days, hiked more than 400 kilometers to Beijing, raising a total of 6,998.7 yuan in donations for underprivileged students along the way.
At around 15:20, the volunteers deposited the collected donations into the donation box, and teachers and students at the school also generously contributed. In total, 2,217 yuan was raised for the underprivileged students. Guo Zhigang, principal of Neiqiu No. 2 Middle School, stated, “Through this activity, not only have the underprivileged students received some financial assistance, but more importantly, we hope to inspire compassion among the students and pass on the power of love.”