Students at the pre-Halloween celebration held at the Tzu Chi Education Campus in Walnut, California, on October 29, 2021, have dressed up for the occasion.

As the COVID-19 vaccination rate increased in the United States, many states began to ease restrictions affecting schools. In response, Tzu Chi Education Foundation’s character education team contacted Juanita Blakely Jones Elementary School in San Bernardino, California, about coming back to the school to provide in-person character education.

After a two-year pandemic pause, Tzu Chi Education Foundation was elated to be able to host their one-day camp centered around environmental protection. Students, teachers, and parents from Ekstrand Elementary learned how to “reduce, reuse, recycle” through immersive activities.

Just like Dharma Master Cheng Yen’s adult disciples, students at Tzu Chi Walnut Education Park take initiative to end all suffering (in their own small way). Children of all ages have the opportunity to eat healthy, plant-based meals and learn about how they are saving the Earth at the very same time.

Tzu Chi Education Foundation of the United States held a market at the Walnut Farm to promote vegetarianism and raise funds for Taiwanese vaccines. The

On May 15th, 2021, American Sign Language (ASL) lessons began in preparation for Tzu Chi USA’s virtual fundraising event on June 19th. On May 26th and 27th, filming took place at a total of 10 sites to make the performance a truly extraordinary feat of love and teamwork.

In March of 2020, when multiple states established shelter-in-place procedures to safeguard communities during the spread of COVID-19, many presumed the pandemic would only last a few months at most. Yet, more than a year has passed, and the pandemic is still ongoing. During this time of great uncertainty, people’s lives and routines have faced myriad transformations. This also included the youngest members of the community, as schools closed and quickly shifted to facilitate remote learning. In February, however, the CDC announced that students from pre-K to K-12 would be allowed to return to school for in-person learning, provided careful guidelines could be upheld.

During the pandemic, what was once a lively garden where children joyfully frolicked with friends had suddenly become a very quiet space. California had issued stay-at-home orders to uphold the wellness of communities, and guests couldn’t come to visit the garden. After some time and thoughtful discussions, however, the hopes of Tzu Chi USA’s education team had come to fruition through the reopening of a “Life Science Farm,” allowing the children to once again bask in the sunshine, birdsong, and fragrant flowers.

Amid educational reforms, Tzu Chi Elementary School in Walnut, CA, is moving forth with new textbooks. But with more than 600 previous editions on hand and in excellent condition, Tzu Chi Elementary School decided to donate the books to a school Tzu Chi is helping rebuild in Mexico.