Help Vivien raise money

Dear my friends and donors,

For the first time, I will be participating in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon (virtual race) to raise funds for Fountain of Love and Life.

First of all, thank you for taking time to read my appeal for this fundraising event.

For many who have known me well, I am not a person who loves to participate in fundraising events because I feel shy and weird asking people for donations. The last time I went out of my comfort zone was to fundraise for the poor and the weak when I had a missionary trip to the Dominican Republic. It was difficult enough for me to raise $500 at that time.

This time, much more courage and strengths are needed for me to step out to ask for your help.

This is because I will be fundraising for the “New Home Capital Campaign” for Fountain of Love and Life. [Donations will also be matched dollar-to-dollar until September 13, 2023 by four generous donors.]

Fountain of Love and Life (FLL) is a non-profit Catholic multi-media evangelization ministry for close to 20 years. Funds raised will be used to spread the Good News to the Chinese communities in Canada and around the world through various media (e.g. TV, radio, YouTube, podcast, bookstore, workshops, webinars, formation programs, etc.). At this moment, the critical project for FLL is to acquire a permanent home for its sustainability and growth.

“Why would I donate to FLL?” Some of you may ask. Yes, and I totally understand. FLL is not a typical ordinary non-profit organization helping the needy, the poor and the weak. The Catholic faith may be unfamiliar, and even not applicable to you. And this is why I would like to share a little story of mine…

I have been a FLL volunteer for more than 10 years before I needed to focus on my theological study at Regis College, University of Toronto School of Theology. During those volunteering years, I was primarily producing TV episodes for the ministry. I still remember the endless nights and weekends working with other volunteers to get the TV programs on air. Many steps were involved: brainstorming, interviewing, filming, scriptwriting, video-editing, transcribing/translating, voice-over recording, etc. Many of us started with no knowledge about TV production, we stumbled and made many mistakes, despite all the sweat and tears, we kept on going, and slowly, we learned and created one episode after another. We were all volunteers using our own spare time working for this ministry. But why?

It is because we want to spread the Good News to our neighbours. But what is the Good News? For us Christians, the Good News is the love of Jesus our God, who became human and died for us. But how does the TV or radio programs, and even a permanent home of FLL help spreading the love? 

Throughout the years, I have witnessed a growing abundance of fruits coming out from FLL. It started with a small group of young volunteers who only knew how to work hard, and now, it turned into a community of love and prayers fostering personal relationships and nurturing future leaders. Many have been touched by the many programs (TV, radio, podcast, YouTube, webinars, prayer groups, formations) done by FLL. Some have been converted to Catholicism, and even have been called to become priests, deacons, and religious sisters. Some called its hotline (phone help-desk) and have been listened to by patient volunteers, and even healed by caring and personal interactions.

What does this mean to you? A permanent home of FLL will not only be beneficial to just the Chinese Catholic communities, but can also be a welcoming meeting place for many (like you, me, and others) who would need a place for peace and love. A physical location can also bring everyone together for in-person social gathering, knowledge/experience sharing, and interfaith dialog. Love has no boundaries.

This is why I am aiming to raise $5,000 (as a starting point) to support this “New Home Capital Campaign” for FLL through walking/hiking for 50 km (and maybe more) from Sep 7 to Oct 31, 2023. I hope you can help me to reach my goal. Any donation will help.

Official electronic tax receipts will be issued for pledges of $20 or above. Each donation transaction through the Toronto Waterfront Marathon “Race Roster” website will incur 8% credit card and service fee costs. These costs are entirely optional. 

If you would like to know more about FLL’s “New Home Capital Campaign” and donation details using other means (e.g. e-transfer, cheque, etc., or how to donate from HK and US), please visit https://communication.fll.cc/newhome2023-home-e

Thank you in advance for supporting my efforts. I could not do this without your generosity. You will be in my prayers no matter what you decide to do.

Sincerely,

Vivien Yip