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Quarter Century of Compassion
Charity (1997-2005)
Tzu Chi in the USA
1989 – 2014

her introduction, they were able to meet the have been one of the most important tools for
deputy mayor and receive his approval. On providing immediate relief to disaster survivors.
September 9, they entered the center and held After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Tzu
their first distribution for storm survivors. Chi volunteers served more than twenty-
At the end of September, another hurricane, five thousand affected families—sixty-eight
Rita, struck Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, so thousand individuals—across a total of fifteen
Tzu Chi volunteers again visited affected areas states, while distributing more than $4.5 million
to distribute needed materials. On October 15 in in relief aid. As a result of these relief efforts,
Beaumont, Tzu Chi volunteers for the first time Tzu Chi volunteers in Dallas were invited to
distributed emergency debit cards with the attend a charity organization planning meeting
Tzu Chi logo printed on them. They were able held by the Governor’s Division of Emergency
to distribute to 1,393 families of police officers Management, and Tzu Chi became one of the
and firefighters affected by the storm. From that organizations that the local government turns
day forward, Tzu Chi’s emergency debit cards to for immediate relief.

Helping disaster survivors takes compassion
and love, not just cash and supplies.

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