Mr. Dao Feng He was invited to Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities Virtual Press Conference
On May 26, 2020, Dao Feng He , Lead Donor, Life Preservation Initiative were invited to join in the Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities virtual press conference convened by grassroots Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and UnitedUSA, and give a speech to share the story of volunteers of LPI, and call for volunteerism.
Mr. Daofeng He’s Speech
As the famous author of Democracy in America Alexis de Tocqueville suggested, the essence of the American spirit is rooted in the self-governance of its people, in a community spirit. And that is based on the desire of people to voluntarily help one another. To volunteer – that is what brought all of us here today – our efforts to help in this pandemic. But have you asked yourself: what is the spiritual source of our voluntary acts? Why should we help one another, why should we stand united in crisis, and even in peace? The answer, my friend, is unwavering faith in God. God is the fountainhead of all goodness within us.
When COVID-19 hit America, I realized this was God’s calling for us to work together and preserve lives. My wife and I pledged to donate $1 million dollars, and through the Daofeng and Angela Foundation, we launched the Life Preservation Initiative (LPI), bringing together 13 Asian-American and Asian organizations to help support the fight. LPI identified the needs and focused on providing PPE to our frontline healthcare workers for saving lives and to the vulnerable communities for slowing the spread of the virus.
We didn’t do this alone: LPI has become a movement of 84 volunteers from 13 cities. We sourced our PPE from Japan, the US, and China after contacting over 100 suppliers. It hasn’t always been a smooth road, but we’ve understood our mission: we are responding to God’s calling: Fight against COVID-19, United, We Stand!
