Doodle This!

Pearl S. Buck International is recognizing the 120th anniversary of the birth of Pearl S. Buck on June 26 and we think that is “Google-Doodle-worthy.”  

We’ve all seen them…those great pieces of art that catch our eye as we launch our searches on Google. We are looking for Google to honor Pearl S. Buck on June 26 with a doodle.

As humanitarian, author, and child advocate, Pearl S. Buck touched the lives of two million. Pearl S. Buck International strives to uphold her legacy through adoption, child sponsorship and community cultural and writing programs.

Think about how many more lives we can touch if Google helps us build awareness through a Google Doodle.  Hundreds of millions of searches are conducted on Google each day. A Google Doodle will put her name in front every person who does one from the Google search page.

The Pearl S. Buck Birthplace in Hillsboro, West Virginia has begun a rallying cry to reach out to Google. We are echoing that cry here and are asking for your help.

There is no formal process for proposing a Google Doodle, and suggestions can come from anywhere. Google only takes suggestions via email at proposals@google.com. We are sharing a  template message below, drafted by Michael Toler, Ph. D from the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Foundation, explaining why Pearl S. Buck is an important cultural figure. Feel free to cut and paste it, and to send it as is. Better yet, personalize it with your story, but keep it simple, polite and short. That way it is more likely to be read.

Time is of the essence, and we appreciate you sharing in our campaign to get a Google Doodle on June 26, honoring Pearl S. Buck on the occasion of  the 120^th anniversary of her birth. 
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Dear Google,

With hundreds of millions of searches performed every day, a global reach into even most remote corners of the world, and a reputation for accuracy and reliability, to be the subject of a Google Doodle on your birthday or some significant anniversary has become a great honor. The late author and humanitarian Pearl S. Buck deserves such an honor and I am writing to suggest you consider running a Google Doodle on the 120th anniversary of her birth, which will be June 26, 2012.

Pearl Buck is best known as a novelist. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 1932 for her novel The Good Earth, and became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938. She wrote prolifically throughout her life, and her work did a great deal to demystify China and Asian culture for the West. But she was more than a novelist: She was a tireless advocate for peace and cultural understanding, and she was a political journalist who felt compelled to speak out on civil rights and women’s issues.

In all, Pearl Buck published more than eighty books, including novels, story collections, nonfiction, translations and children’s books. Many were translated into different languages and published around the world. Fifteen were Book of the Month selections, and most were best-sellers. The fact that her work was so widely read is part of what makes her so important. The empathy she brought to her characters, be they Chinese peasants or American housewives, shaped the way a whole generation of readers felt about other nations and cultures. No wonder she has been praised by the likes of modern-day writers Maxine Hong Kingston and Toni Morrison.

Though she is most remembered as a writer, Pearl Buck’s humanitarian endeavors should not be overlooked. She was generous with her time, labor and money in support of causes she believed in, and there were many, many such causes. Most notably, she set up The Welcome House, an agency for the adoption of Asian-American and other mixed race children who, at the time were considered “un-adoptable” by most orphanages and placement agencies. Indeed, few people have done as much to change attitudes on the rights of the child as Pearl Buck.

Please consider a Google Doodle honoring Pearl S. Buck for June 26, 2012. She certainly deserves it.

Sincerely,

___________

Nanjing University Grand Opening of the Pearl S. Buck Memorial House

(Front L to R - Peter & Terry Conn, Janet Roberts
Back L to R - Steve Harnsberger, Janet Mintzer, Hilary Spurling)

I had a wonderful trip to Nanjing University for the opening of the Pearl S. Buck Memorial House in celebration of the 110th Anniversary of Nanjing University. What a wonderful way to celebrate the school's rich history by renovating the former home of Pearl S. Buck as a memorial to her.The University also conducted a Symposium on Pearl S. Buck's Years in Nanjing. It was so interesting to have authors Peter Conn and Hillary Spurling participating in the discussion as well as filmmaker Donn Rogosin and other important Chinese scholars such as Liu Haiping and Junwei Yao. I was truly humbled to be in their presence at such a momentous occasion.

What a wonderful experience it is to be continuing the legacy of Pearl S. Buck. 

Janet L. Mintzer, President & CEO

Pearl S. Buck International

www.pearlsbuck.org

Pearl S. Buck International Orchestrates a Partnership

Last night was pretty amazing.  I went to philanthropist Happy Rockefeller's home in NYC for a special reception to celebrate the launch of the Philadelphia Orchestra's Inaugural Residency in China, as part of my role on the Orchestra's Global Advisory Council.  The view from her Fifth Avenue apartment was directly over Central Park, and her home was beautiful.  Happy was warm and welcoming.  She told me that she has read many Pearl S. Buck books but has not visited the Pearl S. Buck House in Bucks County, PA, (yet).  Of course, I extended a warm welcome for her to visit soon.  Henry Kissinger was among the guests at the reception as well as Ambassador Nicholas Platt, PA Senator Mike Brubaker, and Freda Wang, Executive Director of Asia Society and 30 others.  When Allison Vulgamore, President & CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra spoke, I could see why she is a compelling leader.  I actually got chills when she recalled that the Philadelphia Orchestra's visit to China in 1973 was to benefit the Chinese people, and today, through this new residency program in China, the Orchestra shall benefit as well as Chinese people. I sincerely hope that Pearl S. Buck International can help to build this exciting residency program in China. The initiative certainly fits with our mission to promote and develop an understanding of the value and attributes of other cultures, cross cultural appreciation and worldwide partnerships.  The Philadelphia Orchestra and Pearl S. Buck International are committed to a partnership with the people of China and a growing relationship built on trust and responsibility.  I cannot wait to see the Orchestra's performance in Shanghai on June 6th.  More to follow...

Janet Mintzer
President & CEO
Pearl S. Buck International
www.pearlsbuck.org       

New Board Director a "Korean Crime Fighter"

Pearl Kim, one of the newest members of Pearl S. Buck International's Board of Directors, is an Assistant District Attorney in the Office of the District Attorney, Delaware County, PA in the Special Victims and Domestic Violence Division.

Her passion for social justice comes naturally, and we can't help but wonder if there is a connection between Pearl Kim and her namesake- our founder, Pearl S. Buck, who was a civil rights and women's rights activist as well as a beacon of hope for underpriviliged children around the globe.

Click to read a recent article from Konnect Magazine about Pearl Kim and her reasons for becoming a special victims prosecutor.

Honorary Board Members Intersect at Dancing with the Stars

For the second time this year, Hines Ward, of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Apl.de.ap, of the Black Eyed Peas, were together at the same venue, only this time they had the pleasure of meeting each other.

In Super Bowl XLV, while Hines Ward and the Steelers were competing against the Green Bay Packers, the Black Eyed Peas performed in the half time show. Because they both serve as Honorary Board Members and are strong supporters of Pearl S. Buck International because of their similar background (they are both biracial with Asian mothers and African American fathers), they hoped to meet each other - but didn't have the opportunity to do so. So it was a great pleasure for them to meet on the set of Dancing with the Stars the night Hines Ward and Kym Johnson received the Mirror Ball Trophy as the best dancers on the show. 

In the Semi-Finals of Dancing with the Stars, Hines Ward honored two of Pearl S. Buck International's "Fatherland Tour" program participants, a program that Ward sponsors every year.  The two program participants, both girls, visited the United States as part of the program on two occasions which encouraged them to enroll in community college in Spokane, Washington.  One of the girls, Jamie, always dreamed of being a ballroom dancer. Through a grant from Hines Ward's Helping Hands Fund, the girls flew into LA and enjoyed the show and dinner with Hines Ward, Kym Johnson, and Pearl S. Buck International's President and CEO, Janet Mintzer. 

Leave it to Hines to be thinking of Pearl S. Buck International and the young people in our program while he is completing in Dancing with the Stars.  He has a heart of gold and is 1st place in our hearts too.

Honorary Board Member Hines Ward Needs Your Vote on Dancing With the Stars

Fans of Pearl S. Buck International who also enjoy following ABC's Dancing With The Stars have been in for a double treat as one of our honorary board members, Hines Ward, has made it to the final three on ABC's hit show.

Ward, wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is a strong advocate for biracial and multicultural children living in Korea. Since Super Bowl XL, he has sponsored “fatherland” programs through Pearl S. Buck International for these children to visit the United States. Ward also received the 2010 United Nations Positive Peace Award based on Pearl S. Buck International’s nomination.

We have been supporting Ward throughout his ten-week reign of success on Dancing With The Stars, and we encourage everyone to vote for him in the final battle for the mirror ball trophy tonight at 8:00 p.m. on ABC!

Additionally, during the grand finale at 8:00 p.m.Tuesday night, The Black Eyed Peas will perform their new single, ‘Don’t Stop the Party'. This is another special moment for Pearl S. Buck International because of our connection with the Black Eyed Peas' Apl.de.ap. Apl is another honorary board member who was a beneficiary of our Opportunity House Child Sponsorship program as a child in the Philippines.

This is the second time in four months that Hines Ward and Apl.de.ap will share a national stage (the first time was Superbowl XLV, when the Peas played the halftime show for the Steelers and Packers) and we don't think it's a coincidence.

Please tune in and support both of our honorary board members on the final episodes of Dancing With The Stars!

Dreams really do come true...

I asked her what role Pearl S. Buck International played in her success today. Without hesitation and with a firm conviction in her voice, she said “everything…”

Saowalack was abandoned by her American father, and her mother, a teenager, left her to go find work. Her grandmother raised her along with seven cousins, in a cramped slum dwelling in Thailand.

In her own words: “Because I was of mixed race, people would stare at me and my grandmother walking down the street and say why does she look like that? Children would torture me for my looks. They pulled my hair, flipped my skirt…they made it very painful for me…I had to fight…I had no friends.”

But she had her grandmother, the strongest person she knew...

 ...and her grandmother had Pearl S. Buck International.

 Her grandmother enrolled her in Pearl S. Buck International's child sponsorship program, and along with her American child sponsors, would constantly encourage her…“do not be afraid…you are someone…you are strong” they would tell her……and they were right.

Deep down inside she had an immeasurable strength…a strength that would help her stay focused on her studies and on her true gift of creativity. “She would draw pictures constantly – and she was really good” recall her sponsors. With the help of Pearl S. Buck International, her grandmother and the encouragement of her child sponsors, she received A’s and B’s in school and was accepted into a top fashion design program.

Today – that tiny little girl – born into poverty, abandoned by her parents, and whose spirit was crushed on a daily basis – is a Director of Technical Design at one of the world’s leading fashion design companies in New York City.

Recently, she visited Pearl S. Buck International with her husband and child sponsors, Bill and Sharon. During their visit, they told us their story – and they asked us to convey a very special message to you…

They want you to know that whether you are one of our committed child sponsors, individual donors, or you are considering helping children for the first time while reading this blog entry…”your commitment changes lives…Saowalak’s story shows you that Pearl S. Buck International’s makes a real difference.”

I asked Saowalak what she would say to children, who, like her, face daily discrimination today because they are “different.” Once again, without hesitation and with a firm conviction in her voice, she said: “Dream. Your dream will come true. You have incredible strength. Don’t ever give up. It is hard, it is difficult, but I have found that I am someone…and so are you. I hope you will never give up.”

Pearl S. Buck International will never give up.

We will never give up Opening Doors of Opportunity for children in need.

But we cannot do it alone. We need your help. Together, we can help more children not only dream – but we can make their dreams come true. Click here to make a tax-deductible contribution that will give more children – who are dreaming of a better life right now – a chance to succeed.

Thank you so much for your partnership on behalf of all the children we serve. I sincerely appreciate your generous support.

Gratefully,
Anthony M. Luna
Vice President of Relationship Development
Pearl S. Buck Internaitonal
http://www.pearlsbuck.org/
tluna@pearlsbuck.org

P.S. - You can also share this link www.pearlsbuck.org/dream with others who want to make a difference.  Thank you.