~Officials and volunteers set sights on another year of love and giving ahead.~
PHILIPSBURG:--- A gathering of community groups and organizations joined grateful members of the public and Prime Minister Luc Mercelina in wishing the Tzu Chi Foundation of St. Maarten a Happy Lunar Year.
The occasion was marked in a moving ceremony at the St. Maarten Cultural Center, Backstreet, on Sunday afternoon, ending with a rededication by Tzu Chi to help the island’s poor and needy.
The group pledged its affinity to the island and its people through its team of already committed volunteers and new members who wished to join to make a public vow on stage that they will carry out the global charity works of Tzu Chi founder Master Cheng Yen.
In a surprise turn, the Prime Minister himself responded to the invitation and joined the others on the stage to take the vow. He surprised the group further by repeating the sign language of one of the songs of the ceremony, “One Family,” and later giving the New Year greeting in the language of Master Chen Yen.
The Lunar New Year blessing ceremony kicked off with a ceremonial dance and songs from Tzu Chi Foundation volunteers led by St. Maarten Tzu Chi Commissioner Sandra Cheung and supported by narrators Roger Fong and Yamile Bastidas.
After officially welcoming the Prime Minister and other honored guests, the Tzu Chi officials took the audience on a journey that started with a brief history of the works of Master Cheng Yen and the life-saving and relief work carried out globally by the Tzu-Chi foundation when disaster strikes.
A representative of the NOW Foundation, Esther St. Luce, and a Tzu Chi volunteer for eight years, Jasmin Victor, spoke respectively and passionately about their own experiences with Tzu Chi and its impact on them personally and also on the community and the organization's services.
The foundation showed the audience its collection of photos taken in 2024 highlighting its own relief efforts to feed, clothe, and assist local organizations and different communities in St. Maarten and other parts of the Caribbean.
According to the Tzu Chi Commissioner, the Foundation now has a presence in 139 countries, assisting those in need, especially in times of crisis.
Both Tzu Chi Commissioner Sandra Cheung and Prime Minister Mercelina recognized the work of the organization’s dedicated team of volunteers, without whom the work of the foundation could not be carried out on St. Maarten or elsewhere.
Before inviting volunteers on stage to make the traditional Tzu Chi bows, Sandra Cheung urged those willing to help to say they wanted to help and make a deeper commitment by taking a personal vow.
“This is a beautiful occasion to embrace hope, kindness, and wisdom as we embark on another year of service and goodwill,” said the Tzu Chi Commissioner.
She asked for the New Year to bring peace, wisdom, and boundless compassion before wishing everyone a Happy New Year.
The afternoon ceremony included the viewing of one short movie showing the work or Tzu Chi following a flooding disaster in another part of the world in a 2024 Global Tzu Chi review.
A video was also shown of some of the relief and food delivery efforts in St. Maarten, featuring not only the volunteers and officials of Tzu Chi at work but also some of the lovable characters who expressed gratitude for the work the foundation is doing in various St. Maarten communities.
The Tzu Chi Commissioner thanked the Prime Minister for his kindness in showing his appreciation for the work that Tzu Chi does and his urging of the foundation to continue its work.
He said the Lunar New Year celebration is to reflect on the past year, take stock of the present, and plan for a successful future.
“As we step up into this new year, I encourage all of us to embrace gratitude for the past, let us commit to mindful action in the present, and let us envision a future built on foundations of compassion, wisdom, unity, and love,” the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister says Tzu Chi has shown the community that small acts of kindness can create waves of transformation.
“Let this be the year that we create bridges instead of walls. Choose understanding over division, and let us cultivate a culture of love,” the Prime Minister added.
