Last month’s earthquakes in Chengdu, China victimized millions, devastated towns, and helped a group of University of the Fraser Valley students better understand the power of the human spirit.

The natural disaster, which directly impacted a group of UFV students on a study-abroad semester in Chengdu, spurred a group of international students on the university’s Abbotsford campus to take action.

Shan Shan Du (known in Canada as Elsa), Sihan Wang (Becky), and their friend Xin Sun (Richie) spearheaded a fundraising effort that has yielded nearly $13,000 for the Canadian Red Cross China earthquake relief fund. ?Most of the money was raised over a 24-hour period at a special event organized by the students and their friends. ?The Canadian government will match every dollar raised, bringing the total to over $25,000.