Chen Shu-chu: Small, extraordinary acts of kindness

摘要

Chen Shu-chu is a seller of vegetables in a stall in Taitung County's central market, in southern Taiwan. Out of her modest living, Chen, 59, has managed to donate nearly NT$10 million (that's $320,000) to various causes, including $32,000 for a children's fund, $144,000 to help build a library at a school she attended and another $32,000 for the local orphanage, where she also gives financial support to three children.rnWhat's so wonderful about Chen's achievement is not its extraordlnariness but that it is so simple and matter of fact in its generosity. "Money serves its purpose only when it is used for those who need it," she told a newspaper.rnAnd rather than bask in her celebrity, Chen seems to dismiss the whole thing with a wave of her hand, perhaps even with a hint of irritation. "There isn't much to talk about, because I did not enter any competition," she says. "I haven't really made any huge donations."