WHO ARE WE? Family - We're a group of down-to-earth, genuine people who love to eat, share laughs and experiences, take on adventures, and of course, help others whenever we can. College can be daunting, especially when you're away from home - it's nice to have a group at Berkeley you can call family. Aside from our club events, we get together for dinner on Fridays and have random hang-outs when people want to do homework together or are bored and just want company. Our goal? To make a difference one small deed at a time...one person at a time.  TC follows Buddhist principles, but is absolutely not exclusive to Buddhism. The three vows of Dharma Master Cheng Yen (founder of Tzu Chi): to purify people's hearts, to harmonize society and to pray for a world without disasters, are ideals not limited to any religion. As a truly courageous and noble person, the Master, often referred to as the Chinese Mother Teresa, can serve as an inspiration to people from all kinds of backgrounds. WHAT DO WE DO? Every week, we put on an event that promotes some aspect of Tzu Chi's principles and missions. Our most popular events include Hotmeal Serve where we prepare and serve dinner at a homeless shelter, Convalescent Home Visit where we perform for and entertain the elderly, Shoreline Clean-up where we pick up trash at the local Berkeley Marina, and Iron Chef where members gather to show off their vegetarian culinary abilities. Other events include, but are not limited to: Recycling, Presidio Nursery, Home Improvement, Card-Making for the Oakland Children's Hospital, street sweeping in Chinatown and Knitting/Crocheting for the poor. Not only do we do community service, but we also introduce some cultural events as well. These promote self-reflection and allow for members to learn a little more about each other...and about themselves. These events include: Tea Ceremony, Flower Arrangement, Sign Language, Learning to cook vegetarian food, and Tea Talk. HOW DO I GET INVOLVED? It's super easy! No hassle, no application, and best of all...no membership fee!! Just sign up for our mailing list (check out the tab to the left) and come to whichever events you're interested in! We'll send out an e-mail the week before the event (no worries we promise we won't spam you!) and if you think you might have fun, sign-up either through the e-mail we send out, or through the "Event RSVP" tab on the left! If you have questions, e-mail us or stop by our table on Sproul and ask the officers! We hope to see you around! HOW WE STARTED The earliest college-based TC youth group in the United States, the Berkeley TC Chapter was established spring of 1996. The goal was to introduce Tzu Chi to young adults and encourage students to learn to care for others and develop a responsible and noble character. In an effort to spread that spirit, other universities and colleges began their own TC chapters and the Tzu Chi Intercollegiate Association was founded, an association to connect Tzu Ching from all around the country.  WHAT IS TZU-CHING?  Literally, "compassionate youth." Tzu ching are part of the collegiate youth group of the overarching International Tzu Chi Foundation. These "youths with compassion and joyous giving" abide by the Tzu Chi spirit and principles and work together to promote and carry out the Tzu Chi missions. UNIFORMS Our blue shirt stands for Blue Sky while the white pants represent White Clouds. These in turn symbolize the goal for Tzu Chi volunteers to keep their minds as wide and open as the blue sky and their actions as pure and clean as the white clouds. |