As the farewell song played out in the university graduation ceremony, the inspector watched the two girls who have been under the Foundation’s long-term care and felt a mix of happiness and sorrow. When the girls went on stage to receive the first place and second place certificates, the inspector could not help but well up with tears, knowing how far they have come.

He recalled that it was only three years earlier that Lin, the girls’ mother, flimsy and weak, turned to the Foundation for help. Her then husband could not hold down a job nor provide for the family. After divorcing the husband, Lin and her daughters moved back in with her parents who soon after passed away. She shouldered the sole responsibility of childrearing. Just when the elder daughter, Ting, was about to start university and the younger daughter senior high school, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The ensuing chemotherapy further worsened her financial situation.

Ting subsequently postponed going to university after she graduated from senior high school. Instead, she was hired to do odd jobs at a spa. She was diligent and never complained. The spa manager, upon learning of her family circumstances, looked out for her and encouraged her to pursue her academic studies. So after work she spent her time studying and finally passed the admission exam to university together with her sister three years later.

The inspector was very positive about how sweet and understanding Ting was with her family. Ting replied, “Mom has been working so hard for so many years to provide for us. Now she is sick and needs to rest, it’s my responsibility to take care of her. All this is not hard work. I just want her to get better and my sister to graduate with no hitch.” The sisters, frugal and filial, never eat out as they want to save money. They always had top grades and were once selected for a filial piety award.

Seeing her daughters graduating with outstanding academic performance awards and scholarships of the highest honor, Lin had tears in her eyes. She said, “If it were not for Grandpa Chang (the Evergreen Founder)’s help and support and the inspector’s continuous encouragement, we could not have survived these tough times. Now that my daughters have graduated and each secured a job, it will all get better from now on.”

The inspector also gave the sisters Chairman’s books as a graduation present, with this quote from the Chairman, “Learning begins with the job. One needs to endlessly learn new things and learn to conduct oneself in society. As times are always changing, we cannot shy away from change. Never give up and persist till the end.” We wish the entire family all the best and a bright future ahead.

Take sail and run with your dreams.