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Cycle of Love
Tzu Chi in the USA
1989 – 2014

Shaw Mo

Over the past half-century of internal conflict in Burma,
hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homeland for
refugee camps across the border, and roughly fifteen thousand
have ultimately settled in Indiana. After spending the majority of
their lives in these camps, many of the young people have never
received any formal education or even seen a computer before
they arrive in the United States.

Hoping to give these students a chance for a bright future,
the small team of local Tzu Chi volunteers in Indianapolis started
providing weekly English, math, and computer tutoring in 2010. One of their students, Shaw Mo,
quickly stood out as a leader. When other students were not in class, she called and checked up on
them. As soon as she grasped a concept during tutoring, she turned around and helped explain it
to struggling classmates. Whenever volunteers wanted to help a family in the community, Shaw Mo
always volunteered to make the connection and serve as translator.
After graduating high school in 2013, Shaw Mo started attending college with a Tzu Chi
scholarship to study nursing. She hopes to give back to her community by serving their medical
needs. A compassionate individual deeply touched by Tzu Chi’s care, Shaw Mo donned the Tzu Chi
volunteer uniform in 2013 as the first Tzu Chi seed in her community.

Russell Archer

An immigrant from the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago,
Russell Archer entered Princeton University in 2012 to study Civil
Engineering with a Tzu Chi scholarship. As Russell received his
thousand-dollar scholarship and bamboo bank during the 2012
scholarship award ceremony in New Jersey, he vowed to fill the
bamboo bank to the brim. Growing up in an impoverished family,
he relies on the school and outside scholarships to cover his tuition
and room and board, so it took him a full year to fulfill his vow. But
he succeeded nonetheless and mailed the heavy bamboo bank
back to the regional office as a sincere demonstration of his gratitude and dedication.
When Russell returned home for summer vacation, he took the bus to the Tzu Chi in Cedar
Grove, where he served the community through the Tzu Chi Food Pantry. With a joyful heart, he
helped separate fresh fruits and vegetables and carry items to customers’ cars. When each person
left, they all displayed smiling faces and warmly expressed their gratitude, showing the true spirit of
“gratitude, respect, and love.”

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