January 27, the Shenzhen Civil Affairs Bureau visited Li Yun (on the left). (File Photo)
■ Making a living by collecting garbage and donating hundreds of yuan per month, he has become a model of charity.
■ Coordinated by: New Express reporter Yin Zhengjun
■ Written by: New Express correspondent in Shenzhen Dai Xiaoxiao, intern reporter Zhang Guofeng
"We need to find Li Yun! We want to present him with the Model of Charity Award!" The award ceremony for the second Shenzhen Penglai Charity Awards will be held tomorrow. Most of the winning entrepreneurs and guests have been contacted, but there is no clue as to how to find one of the awardees — Li Yun, who makes a living by collecting garbage. Yesterday, the head of Shenzhen Charity Federation told reporters from New Express that they hope to issue a "missing person notice" through this newspaper to find this "garbage collector philanthropist."
Ranked alongside the president of Vanke as a role model
From the list of winners of the second Penglai Charity Awards, I saw that the name of Li Yun, the garbage collector, was prominently listed as the third "Penglai Model of Charitable Behavior," alongside well-known figures in the business world such as Yu Liang, president of Vanke Group.
"No contact information, no home address, we've mobilized all our connections to find him, but still have no leads!" Feng Meiling, the head of Shenzhen Charity Federation, told reporters that Li Yun was recommended by Futian District Charity Federation. He is about 30 years old, makes a living by collecting garbage, has no children, and also needs to take care of an elderly mother. However, he has long participated in social public welfare activities and almost donates hundreds of yuan every month. From September 1, 2008 to September 30, 2010, he donated a total of 4005 yuan. Although the total amount of donations is not large, his continuous enthusiasm for charity and public welfare from his meager income from collecting garbage has unique appeal and influence, "his online voting and judge's votes were both very high!"
Borrowing money for donations and then disappearing without a trace
Feng Meiling told reporters that in January this year, Shenzhen Charity Federation had also searched for Li Yun. According to clues provided by enthusiastic citizens, they found this homeless man in a shack near Huanggang Garden in Futian District. "He was dressed sloppily, with a full beard, looking like he was over 50 even though he was only in his early 30s." When the staff informed him of the good news of his win, Li Yun simply said, "This is what I should do."
The staff of Futian District Charity Federation told reporters that Li Yun would appear several times a month to donate money, each time grabbing a handful of crumpled change from his pocket. Once, they couldn't help reminding Li Yun to improve his own life first, but he smiled and said, "I think this is pretty good!" Although outsiders see him as homeless and poor, he says, "I will do my best with whatever abilities I have."
According to Feng Meiling's recollection, the last time they received a message from Li Yun was in March this year after the Yingjiang earthquake in Yunnan. Li Yun suddenly called her, making a "special" request, hoping to donate 500 yuan to the disaster area, but since he currently had no money, he hoped to borrow 500 yuan from Shenzhen Charity Federation for the donation. Since then, he has been out of touch, and his original mobile phone number cannot be reached.
Urgent search for Li Yun to accept the award on stage
With no way to contact Li Yun, will he show up to receive the award? "Li Yun's example conveys the idea that everyone can participate in charity; charity can start with oneself." Fang Tao, Secretary General of Shenzhen Charity Federation, once stated, "We believe (Li Yun's story) is very meaningful and worth recommending. His continuous donations are not for the sake of awards or for others to see; doing good deeds is a joyful spontaneous act, and such actions deserve admiration!"
Thus, Shenzhen Charity Federation issued a notice to find Li Yun, inviting him to attend the award ceremony for the second Penglai Charity Grand Prize to be held tomorrow and to accept the award on stage. If any enthusiastic citizens can provide relevant clues, please call Shenzhen Charity Federation at 0755-25832419. (Editor: SN026)