Kind woman serves Chengxi Community
11/8/2004 15:49
Chen Meiyu, a middle-aged woman from Chongming County, commits herself to
the well-being of the island's Chengxi Community.
As soon as she left her
position as a government employee in 1998, Chen was appointed director of the
Neighborhood Committee of Chengxi Community, Chengqiao Town, Chongming
County.
The neighborhood committee is a body at the grassroots level for self
governance, education and services. Its members serve on a voluntary
basis.
Chen is responsible for looking after almost every aspect of
residents' daily lives from helping settle family disputes to promoting cultural
activities.
"My own enthusiasm for public affairs was sparked when I found
the residents in the community are very friendly and kind," Chen said."And my
family supports me greatly in doing the job."
Over the past six years, the
straight and warm-hearted Chongming native has devoted herself to this social
responsibility by offering good service and even care to about 4,200 residents
in the community. About 1,000 residents are either retired or laid-off.
Chen
says when people retire they tend to feel a sense of loss when contact with
former colleagues ends.
"The circle of communication and movement for them
may shrink," she said. "They have lots of spare time with nothing to do to fill
the time."
Since retired and unemployed people are spending more and more
time in the community, Chen said she began to think that they may be interested
in learning new things.
She also believes that strengthening the bond between
neighbors is essential to a good community.
With the support of residents,
the Chengxi Community School was formed in 2002.
"The school helps many
retired and laid-off residents learn what they can't learn from daily life," she
said.
The school offers a variety of two-hour classes - free of charge -
throughout the week, including singing on Wednesdays and dancing on Tuesdays and
Fridays.
In addition to taking entertainment classes, the residents can also
attend various lectures on law, politics and medical treatment. The lecture is
held four times each year at a nearby school. About 200 residents attend each
lecture.
According to Chen, most of the teachers and lecturers are volunteers
who are experts in a certain field.
Chen mentioned that an English class
starting in May 2003 has created considerable interest among the retired.
"To
propel the process of our island's development, our residents are being
encouraged to improve themselves to meet the needs of international
communication," Chen said.
Chen said the specially designed two-hour oral
English class, which runs every Thursday afternoon, targets beginners with no
English education background.
"I am really touched that those retired people
have a burning desire to learn English no matter how difficult it is for them,"
Chen said.
Several seniors have even been known to review what they learn in
class at home and practice English sentences and phrases with their
grandchildren after dinner.
Chen said they encourage family members to study
together to help create an English-speaking environment.
"I am happy to see
the community school is welcomed by more and more residents," she said. "For the
students, the school has become a big family, and a sense of belonging to the
community is growing rapidly."
Although Chen is busy working for the
community, she never forgets to offer companionship for seniors who live
alone.
"These elderly people are lonely and need somebody to talk to and
interact with," she said.
A 93-year-old man, surnamed Huang, considers Chen a
daughter, to whom he would like to express his deepest feelings.
Due to
Chen's contributions over the years, she was named one of the city's outstanding
directors of neighborhood committees in 2002.
And earlier this month, she was
further honored as the "Outstanding Member of Communist Party" by the
county.
"Working for Chengxi Community makes me happy," she said. "It's
probably the most meaningful thing I've ever done in the past six years."
Yang Di
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