| Good-bye Note from Mohana Priya I’m Mohana Priya. I have been volunteering with Heart to Heart since June 2019. An internal job change brought me to Shanghai in 2018.  It was the most unplanned decision of my life. In the beginning, I was struggling to cope with the bizarre shift that happened in my life. I had lived in two countries away from my home country before I came to China. However, China was so unique and different. I was mostly trying to solve life’s challenges at that point of time. Doing something to uplift and help children has always been in my thoughts. For some reason, I was not able to act on that thought until I found Heart to Heart. A life changing incident in June 2019 made me question life’s purpose, the heart beat I hear and the breath I take. I wanted to find a purpose. A purpose that would convince me that I deserved to be alive when so many weren’t in this ever-changing world. In the hunt for purpose, I searched on the internet for children and charity. And I found my soul connection – Heart to Heart Shanghai. It would be super hard for me to put it in words what volunteering with H2H has done for me. This incredible experience was soul nourishing. The children that we were able to help and their families’ happiness will always be very very close to my heart. Suddenly my life felt fulfilling and purposeful. I met some of the most beautiful souls through Heart to Heart – Karen, DJ and Sunita are some to mention. I have been actively participating in fund raising events, contributed art pieces for the “Art for Hearts” show, made donations on my birthdays and have done videos, graphics, marketing materials for H2H on various occasions. I also recently started volunteering in Yoda hospital as playroom volunteer. Children healing from surgeries come to playroom to play with toys for a while. It is so picturesque to see them smile and feel the warmth that they will have a long and healthy life. Meeting so many different people with same purpose was unbelievably satiating for me. In addition to this, I have also inspired many of my colleagues and friends to contribute for H2H to help children. I also had a small ritual of visiting a child on my birthdays that I have helped to raise money for the surgery or personally contributed towards the surgery. This small ritual made me feel that I was making a difference in someone’s life. We have had so much fun together. Bingo nights, birthday parties, H2H new volunteer video making sessions, etc. It is hard to believe I have left Shanghai for good. Recent years have been hard for everybody with the pandemic. We, as humans, were trying our best to show resilience and survive with the change. It is stunning to see how we have managed it through. Due to these global challenges, I am again moving country for work. This time, Sweden. I will for sure keep contributing for Heart to Heart in any shape and form that I can. It is so unfortunate that I was not able to meet every single of my H2H friends to say bye until we meet again. With a hope that I will meet you all at some point in life again, I would like to express sincere gratitude and thank you for helping me to put the broken pieces back in my life. 我是 Mohana Priya。 自 2019 年 6 月以来，我一直在心连心做志愿者。2018 年，一次内部工作的调动将我带到了上海, 这可能算得上是我这一生中的一个最没有预先计划而做出的决定。 起初，我真的很难适应我的生活中由此而带来的各种转变。 在我来中国之前，我其实已经在远离我的祖国的另外两个国家生活过。 然而，中国是如此的独特和不同，以至于我当时真的需要非常努力，才能应对生活中的挑战。 一直以来我都想做一些事情来帮助到需要帮助的孩子。 但出于某种原因，在我加入心连心之前，一直无法按照我这个想法而采取行动。2019 年 6 月，在我经历了一件改变我人生的事件之后，我开始质疑我人生的目的，甚至质疑我听到的心跳和我的呼吸是不是值得。我需要重新找到一个我的人生目标，一个能让我相信，我应该在这个不断变化的世界里活着的目标。为了这个，我在网上搜索了一个儿童慈善机构。我找到了我的灵魂纽带——上海心连心。很难用语言来形容心连心的志愿服务给我带来的一切，那是一种令人难以置信的经历，令人精神振奋。看到我们能够帮助生病的孩子和他们的家人得到幸福，总是让我自己也无比感动。那一瞬间，我的生活变得充实而有意义。 我通过心连心结识了一群最美丽的灵魂——Karen、DJ 和 Sunita，他们都很值得一提。 我一直积极参与筹款活动，为“Art for Hearts”节目提供艺术作品，在每年我的生日那天筹款，并在各种场合为心连心制作完成视频、宣传和营销材料。看到从手术中康复的孩子们来到游戏室做游戏，看到他们的微笑， 知道他们从现在以后将拥有一个健康而长寿的生活，这些总是那么美好。这些年来，我遇到了很多和我志同道合的人，这让我感到非常的满足。除此之外，我还带动了我的许多同事和朋友加入心连心，为帮助孩子们做出贡献。我还有一个小小的传统，就是在我生日那天拜访一个我帮助筹集过资金或我个人捐助过的孩子。这个小小的传统让我觉得我真的在改变别人的生活。 宾果游戏之夜、生日派对、心连心新志愿者视频制作会议，这些都让我很开心。 难以置信，我已经永远地离开了上海。 近年来，疫情对每个人来说都很艰难。作为普通人，我们一直在努力展现人类的韧性，在变化中幸存下来。我们是如何不容易地在度过难关。由于这些变化，我不得不再次为工作搬家。这一次，我是去瑞典。我一定会尽我所能继续为心连心做出贡献。很遗憾我没能在我离开之前和我的每一位心连心朋友面对面说再见。希望我能在人生的某个时刻再次见到你们，到时，我要向你们表达我最诚挚的谢意，感谢你们曾经帮助我，让我生活中地碎片在我的生活中得到了修复。 | 
and phones faced downwards. Answers sheets are swapped around for marking and the winning team captain gets to go on stage to claim the prize and take the glory.
for hosting and to our quizzers for taking part & donating. We raised just under 7000rmb and got ourselves a great new first for Heart to Heart. (by Kate Bayles)
It was the most unplanned decision of my life. In the beginning, I was struggling to cope with the bizarre shift that happened in my life. I had lived in two countries away from my home country before I came to China. However, China was so unique and different. I was mostly trying to solve life’s challenges at that point of time.
. Children healing from surgeries come to playroom to play with toys for a while. It is so picturesque to see them smile and feel the warmth that they will have a long and healthy life. Meeting so many different people with same purpose was unbelievably satiating for me. In addition to this, I have also inspired many of my colleagues and friends to contribute for H2H to help children. I also had a small ritual of visiting a child on my birthdays that I have helped to raise money for the surgery or personally contributed towards the surgery. This small ritual made me feel that I was making a difference in someone’s life. We have had so much fun together. Bingo nights, birthday parties, H2H new volunteer video making sessions, etc.
organization, but H2H is in my heart forever. During a field trip I saw that the same applies to the children, who have undergone necessary heart surgery thanks to financial help from H2H. As a result, they have a chance to participate in a full life and they will never forget the support of H2H.
I volunteered with the cutting and sewing group, which I have to admit was amazing working alongside some brilliant creativity and talent. I joined the marketing team as well as working on fundraisers. I also joined numerous times meetings with the children and families as they arrived in Shanghai for their surgeries. I also visited the children and families after their heart surgery. I love making a difference in the lives of the children and families. When you see the children and families with smiles on their faces you instantly know you are in the right place at the right time.
The time we spent with you at H2H has been the privilege of giving back to the community and gave us a lot of sincere joy and sense of fulfillment; it has been a warm feeling of family in a foreign country, a connection with children we’ll never meet and who donate their smiles to us and the energy to help.
cuisines and people I went, ate and met for I am sure most of you would have experienced that or even more than I did.
H2H has taught me skills for life & I will be forever grateful (can size up a donations bag in record time, am very proficient at lugging boxes, can create an online catalogue & have developed a keen taste for gin!)
Wilma who was on her way to assembly. She took me under wing and the rest is history. Assembly was so busy, but so organised. The feeling of accomplishment whether it be in the sewing room or the sorting room was amazing.
Sign Up to be a Volunteer! 
our WeChat Group! 