COMMUNITY & COMPASSION
Come Together is an annual event put on by the Come Together Charity [CTC] based in Zhuhai.
Several local expats are involved, and their companies take a significant role in providing financial support to people and families in need of assistance here in Southern China. The Come Together festival is the communities' opportunity to lend a hand to local care facilities and organizations such as the LJL (Lanjing Ling) and ZAS (Zhuhai Autism Society).
With contributions from the community, CTC can assist over 60 underprivileged families who need help paying for their children's medical bills.
Andy Board, General Manager of the Bowers & Wilkins manufacturing division here in Zhuhai, made an impassioned speech. He talked about how the members of CTC went to visit one of the local children the charity helps. In spite of suffering from multiple brain tumours and having almost no gastric motility, the little girl smiled and laughed and played with the visitors.
While Andy was speaking, many people were moved to tears by the story, and his co-host, Ms Yama, was nearly unable to continue. To know that our contributions will ease the suffering of a little girl was gratifying.
Big Prizes for a Noble Cause
Raffle tickets for thousands of prizes worth over 160,000 yuan were won, with lucky people taking home everything from amazing B&W speakers, to pet grooming vouchers, all generously provided by local brands and companies.
Happy punters who were looking to snag a prize nearly inundated the volunteers staffing the raffle booth!
Volunteers Rock
From selling tickets and vouchers to managing security and access to the VIP areas, the people who gave up their time so that the night could go off without incident were so critical to the success of the event.
The dedicated volunteers ensured we were having a good time, and of course, donating to the charity!
There was a party atmosphere throughout the night, with people talking, laughing and dancing to the amazing bands. We heard terrific new music from international acts such as Queens Garden from Macau, and the Canadian hard rock band, Hipshot (Facebook fanpage).
Also hailing from Macau were the crowd favourites The High Rollers. Their enigmatic frontman Billy Da Kidd and his bandmates showed us that age is no barrier to being a badass rock-star. Alongside these were local lineups who gave the professional acts a run for their money. There are a lot of talented people here, and seeing them come together for this event was fantastic.
I met artists and authors, business owners and school teachers, all of us there to give what aid we could to the people most in need in our little corner of Guangdong. I know it raised my spirits, and it was a great way to get to know some of the diverse people who make up our wonderful community.
It isn't every day we get to be a part something far more significant than ourselves. Even though my role was minimal, it was a privilege to bear witness to just how much love and charity exists in bustling Zhuhai. Here in China, our society often feels cold and business-like; however, the event I took part in managed to draw us all closer. It certainly lived up to its name, and I can't wait for Come Together 2020!