BLIA World HQ Donated RAT Kits to Associated Artists of FGY Art Gallery Christchurch

The pandemic situation in New Zealand continues to worsen. Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) World Headquarters specially donated 15,000 Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits to Fo Guang Shan (FGS) New Zealand for distribution in New Zealand. FGS Christchurch Minister-in-charge Venerable Jue Xi donated the RAT kits not only to Christchurch schools, but also to artists who have maintained long-term interactions with Fo Guang Yuan (FGY) Art Gallery Christchurch.  From March 15th to March 19th, close to 100 RAT kits were donated to Canterbury Embroiderers Guild (CEG), Canterbury Potters Association, ceramic Artist Della Goodinson and amateur Artist Leonore Ashby.

The receivers of the RAT donations thanked BLIA and Venerable Jue Xi for their love and compassion in caring about the health of the people in the community during the time of severe pandemic. They promised to make good use of the hard-to-get-by RAT kits to keep a check on their health so as to stay away from the Omicron virus.

President of CEG, Marie Meyer, expressed her gratitude on behalf of the Guild. She said that the Auckland Headquarters of New Zealand Embroiderers Guild was unable to take care of the Embroiderers Guild branches due to the severity of Omicron pandemic in Auckland itself. It had never crossed her mind that the Canterbury Branch, though situated far away in the South, was able to receive the love and care, in the form of RAT kits, from the distant land of Taiwan. All this had happened because of CEG’s Common Thread Embroidery Exhibition at FGY Art Gallery Christchurch. Marie was much moved by BLIA World HQ’s kind gesture, and at the same time, was grateful to the Art Gallery for its continuous assistance during the Exhibition.