The Power of a Good Deed, No Matter How Small
Author: Gia Tran, True Buddha News – Nov. 15, 2018
You might have heard about a recent heart warming news story about a Vancouver woman named Gia Tran who collects bottles and cans totaling $15,000 over 21 years, which she donates to the BC Cancer Foundation. In case you haven’t seen it, here is CTV News Vancouver news (short video) coverage: https://bc.ctvnews.ca/woman-collecting-bottles-and-cans-donates-15k-to-cancer-foundation-1.4130888
However, not many people know that Gia Tran is also a daily donor and champion for yet another good cause. Amazing but true – half her daily efforts of collecting bottles and cans goes to The Salvation Army Belkin House, a supportive housing facility for the homeless and at-risk, for over 10 years now.
By sheer coincidence, I met Mrs. Gia Tran yesterday while on a charity partnership tour of Belkin House as she dropping off her daily cash donation. We were quickly introduced and shared a few chuckles over coffee. She was especially surprised to learn that I was also named Gia Tran and that I also immigrated to Vancouver the same year she did in 1980.
Speaking in Vietnamese and broken English, “Mrs. Gia” as she is referred to by the shelter staff, humbly shared her enthusiasm for helping others. After immigrating to Vancouver, she spent a decade supporting her four young children by cleaning apartments and motels, which was very hard labor in her eyes compared to her current retirement hobby of collecting cans and bottles for cash.
Mrs. Gia laughs easily and kept saying “I love people. I want help people – I happy every day.” Her face shines with a cheerfulness that literally lights up the whole room.
Every weekday afternoon, Mrs. Gia brings in a cash donation of $10, $15 sometimes $20 to the Belkin House shelter downtown on Homer Street. She then picks up a coffee in their cafeteria before taking the bus or walking across town to the BC Cancer Foundation’s West Broadway office to drop off a similar donation.
She spends up to 10 hours every weekday, rain or shine, doing these acts of kindness. The deposit on a can or bottle can be as low as 5 cents which does not seem like much. However, this 62 year old Vancouver woman’s daily efforts has made a big difference!
About this Author: Gia Tran
Gia Tran is an administrative professional in the mining industry. In her spare time, Gia enjoys volunteering with Lotus Light Charity Society (Vancouver) to help raise food, funds, clothing and emergency supplies to help the most vulnerable in our local community. Lotus Light Charity is a non‑profit based in the downtown Eastside Vancouver now celebrating its 25th year of service. With over 90 chapters around the world, Lotus Light’s charitable focus is primarily poverty alleviation efforts in addition to providing educational scholarship funding, social assistance, medical assistance and promoting cultural awareness.