12/05/2004: "Helping a Heart on Halloween"

On Halloween, a group of volunteers went "trick or treating" around Cambridge to raise money for Guo Yanfei, a seven-year-old girl with a heart condition in need of immediate medical care. Together, we raised over $1500—just enough to cover the cost of the surgery when combined with a grant from the China Care Foundation.
Thanks to the efforts of our volunteers and the generosity of our donors, we may have been able to help save a little girl's life!

To find out more about Guo Yanfei, who lives in the Saiqi Orphanage, click here. This will be updated as we receive more news about Yanfei's condition.


Click on 'more' below to read what Aidan, who masterminded the project, and our contacts in China had to say!

Aidan, our fundraising chair, wrote to our contacts in China:

"Prior to this evening, we had $3500 amassed to put towards the $5000 cost of Guo Yan Fei's heart surgery - composed of a $2500 grant from China Care and the $1000 balance in the Harvard China Care account!

BUT TONIGHT - in an extensive project I called "Help a Heart on Halloween, Trick or Treat for Guo Yan Fei," we were able to raise slightly over $1500, which should put us at the $5000 required to cover the surgery!!!!!

I and a dozen or so other volunteers I scrounged up from the many activities I participate in had a great time going door to door near Harvard collecting the money for her - and I think that we were particularly successful since people were expecting door-to-door action tonight due to halloween!!! :)

I'm still flabergasted that we made our goal, and SO EXCITED that Guo Yan Fei can have the surgery she needs!"



They wrote back:

"Thank you for all your hard work to help Yanfei. I will call saiqi to
let them know that Yanfei can get ready to do the surgery soon. I know her
mother will be very grateful.... they just can not afford this surgery.
what you guys did just means so much to them. (you can not imagine!!!)"