Ladies and gentlemen,
Janet L.Mintzer, President and CEO of PSBI.,
Ms.Leonette Boiarski, Director of Welcome House,
Distinguished guests and friends,
Good afternoon!
I'm greatly honored to be invited to attend the celebration to benefit the Zhenjiang Orphanage. First of all, please allow me to express my heartfelt thanks to Janet Mintzer and Welcome House of PSBI on behalf of Ms. Xu Xiaoxia, President of Zhenjiang Pearl S. Buck Association. Ms.Xu departed on the 19th and is now in Zhenjiang, but she wanted me to thank all those warm-hearted people who have got themselves in the preparation of the activity. She also wanted me to thank Ms Lin Xu Mei Hui for inviting her to be present at the celebration.
Zhenjiang is the city where Pearl S. Buck spent her first 18 years of her life. She grew up and received her early education both in Chinese and Western cultures there. Those years were vital in the formation of her first ideas about the diversity of different cultures. Later, in her literary productions, Pearl Buck strained her strength to the utmost to depict China and the Chinese people and at the same time to present China in contact with the West; she also persisted in an untiring endeavor to promote the understanding between different cultures and races; to a great extent, Pearl Buck's contributions consist even more in her non-fiction and her humanitarian work than in her fiction. In short, Pearl Buck called for communication, understanding and love between different races, nationalities and cultures.
In 1949, Pearl Buck founded Welcome House, the first international, interracial adoption agency in the US, now one of the three high functioning arms of PSBI; in 1964,she set up the Pearl S. Buck Foundation, now PSBI, to which she devoted much of her time, energy and resources, which improved greatly the lives of thousands of Amerasian children.
To continue and promote Pearl Buck's legacy, Welcome House has started such a humanitarian initiative at the Zhenjiang Orphanage. And today, Welcome House is hosting such a celebration to benefit the Orphanage, hoping to raise enough money to purchase what the children in the Orphanage need in their daily life. It's a noble act, which will build a safe haven of hope and possibility for the children there. And I believe Pearl Buck would appreciate it greatly. I also believe that it's an act to promote her legacy and her dreams, for part of her lifetime commitment is to improve the quality of life and expand opportunities for children.
Dear friends, you will always be remembered for your all-out dedication and valued support to the Zhenjiang Orphanage!
Thank you!

Writer       ：Junwei Yao
Writefrom：Zhenjiang Pearl S. Buck Research Association

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