My Longkang

About half a year ago or more I was approached by certain quarters to help find funds to buy spectacles for the needy. These spectacles were meant for those who needed spectacles but had none because they couldn’t afford it.

The criteria we set was that the recipient should be financially needy and not in possession of a pair of usable glasses. After all we cannot sponsor every one who needs a pair of glasses. Some people who drive Mercedez also applied for these free glasses. Race or religion or ability in academic studies was not part of the criteria.

We managed to get a kind lady to sponsor 100% for the project. It was in her words a worthy project and in a small way she wanted to give back a little to society what she had received.

Yesterday, I received a phone call. The parents of one of the recipients came in a big car to her shop demanding another pair of glasses to replace the pair their child had damaged. They ranted and accused the same sponsor of cheating them and giving them lousy stuff. Personally I can tell you, the frames are similar to the ones I am using and have been using for years.

With raised voices they scolded, dripped with sarcasm and ridiculed the lady and then they left the shop. The lady was stumped. What had she done wrong to receive such a tirade? What about other people who happened to be there at the shop? What would they think?

Anyway, she called me and told me about the incident and said she wouldn’t mind sponsoring another project like this again. But the recipients must be properly screened, only the real needy and not those who are greedy for freebies. And they must know the spectacles are 100% sponsored.

She is great. As a good samaritan, she found that she received no thanks instead she had to face this kind of ‘gratitude’. It has nothing to do with business. She just wants to help. If it were a lesser mortal, no more sponsorship or free glasses for the needy ever again.