Tzu Chi Foundation, USA. Northwest Region 北加州分會

The Tzu Chi Northwest Regional Office was established in 1993. As more Tzu Chi supporters joined our efforts, the scope of our services also expanded to meet the growing demands of our communities. To further reach out to relieve the suffering around us with concrete actions, new infrastructure was deemed necessary. A new Tzu Chi building enables us to consolidate our charitable resources and create plans to launch long-term development endeavors in the Silicon Valley.

The current focus of Tzu Chi Northern California Chapter is Charity, Medicine, Education, Humanitarian Culture, Environmental Protection, and Emergency Relief. The goal is to invite local volunteers involvements for globalization.

Mission of Charity
Tzu Chi Northern California Chapter follows the compassion of Master Cheng Yen to help the poor and educate the poor. Charity Mission is the foundation of Tzu Chi philosophy. Realizing the ideal of “Reach out to all who cry for help; Relieve the needed people in time; Rescue people from sufferings and bring joy to them” in different charitable activities.

Mission of Medicine
Since 1995, a few volunteers and doctors from Tzu Chi headquarter take the responsibility of suburban free clinic service. They take a long way deep into the countryside to take care of the poor and the people in suffering. They overcome all the hardship to practice free clinic with limited portable equipments for 12 years. Short of equipment is always an issue. When a small disease becomes serious due to lack of equipment is a nightmare.
To follow the urge vow to relieve the people in sufferings of Master Cheng Yen, Tzu Chi volunteers from Northern California consolidate the love and effort from the general public to realize a full equipped mobile dental van. Hopefully a more perfect medical service can be provided to the people in need.

Mission of Education
The philosophy of spirit of Tzu Chi education is based on “Compassion and joyful giving” as school motto, and “Respect life and affirm human nature” as objective. With the goal of Virtue education, Life education and complete education to build an education palace which not only educate with knowledge but also with principles.

Mission of Humanity
Truth, goodness, and beauty are the principles that underlie Tzu Chi’s Mission of Humanity. Master Cheng Yen once said, the “culture of humanity” is quite different from “culture”. The latter is made up of image expressions whereas the former is the true essence of life derived painstakingly through real life experiences. This unique culture of humanity is demonstrated in all of Tzu Chi’s missions – the selfless giving in charity, the respect of every life in medicine, and the emphasis of moral characters in education. In the area of mass media, with DaAi TV and JingSi Publications, Tzu Chi aims at reporting the good side and the good deeds of mankind, with the ultimate goal in purifying the human mind and bringing harmony to the society.

Tzu Chi Northern California Emergency Relief Team (ERT)
Disasters occur at every corner of the earth recently. Tzu Chi Northern California Chapter based on the principle of “Direct, Priority, Respect, Practicality, and Punctuality” provides man power and materials and directly involves in disaster relief.
Being vigilant in peace time, ERT closely cooperates with American Red Cross, counties and cities in the bay area to promote emergency relief education to general public to respond to disasters. With the education, people can help themselves and others.

Mission of Environmental Protection
Tzu Chi Northern California Chapter Environmental Team was established for 6 years since 2004. The philosophy is to echo Master Cheng Yen’s “Using your clapping hands for environmental protection.”
For recycling, there are 11 commercial recycling centers, 2 Tzu Chi Academy recycling centers, and 19 community family recycling centers in Tzu Chi Northern California Chapters. There are about 500 Environmental Protection volunteers.