This message is being sent on behalf of the Office of the
President.
Dear Colleagues:
I am writing in the aftermath of the recent earthquake in China,
to ask for your assistance, and to advise you of the initiatives the broader
Chinese community of Winnipeg is undertaking to help the survivors of this
tragedy.
As many of you are aware, an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 - first
reported as 7.8 - hit the province of Sichuan, China, on Monday, May 12.
As of May 19, the death toll had reached 34,000 and more than 250,000 were
injured. These numbers are expected to rise rapidly in the days to come.
Beichuan, a small town at the epicenter of the earthquake, was
flattened in seconds. Thousands of students lost their lives in school on that
Monday afternoon. The devastation and deaths are of such magnitude that the
Government of China has declared three days of national mourning, the first
ever in the Chinese history.
We have all read stories of natural disasters and sometimes it is
hard to comprehend destruction and devastation that is located far away. For
many of our students, faculty and staff, however, this tragedy is all too real.
Sichuan Province is home to many international students at the University of
Manitoba, and several of our professors have their hometowns within 200 km of
the epicenter. Furthermore Sichuan University is a sister university of the
University of Manitoba, and Winnipeg is a sister city of Chengdu, the capital
of Sichuan Province.
Dr. Feiyue Wang, a member of our Department of Environment and
Geography as well as the Department of Chemistry, and Chair of the Manitoba
Chinese Tribune, has advised me that the Chinese and Chinese-Canadian communities
of Winnipeg are co-coordinating efforts to provide care and support to the
victims of this earthquake. A major benefit performance is planned for May 25
at the Canad Inns - Polo Park. I am attaching the poster describing this event
for your information. Your attendance would be most appreciated.
If you would like to make a donation, please make your cheque
payable to the Canadian Red Cross, earmarked "China Earthquake". You
may drop the cheque at the event venue, or at the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and
Community Centre, or mail it directly to the Canadian Red Cross National
Office, 170 Metcalfe, Suite 300, Ottawa, ON K2P, 2P2. If you wish, you may
donate directly with your credit cards at www.redcross.ca.
Most importantly, do not forget that our University has many
Chinese students, scholars of Chinese origin, and friends of Chinese ancestry
in the community. A friendly smile would help them immeasurably, as would an
inquiry about their families and friends. Whatever their circumstances, it will
help them to know that though they may be far from home, here they are not
alone.
Sincerely,
Emġke Szathmáry, Ph.D.
President and Vice-Chancellor