In 2023, Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) organized its first KM for Love, which they called Peachy Charity Run & Brunch and raised RMB 28,068 for then-5-year-old orphan Ping, who suffers from a rare genetic skin disease (epidermolysis bullosa, or EB). Since 2026, WAB has turned this charity run into an annual tradition. 

Sunday, April 12, from 9:00 AM to noon, Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) will once again become a hub of energy, compassion, and community spirit as it hosts the annual KM for Love Run & Brunch. Organized by WAB’s student group KM for LOVE, every bit raised supports Dew Drops and a very special six-year-old named Fei.

Fei is an energetic six-year-old living with Loeys-Dietz syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes serious heart issues. She is now preparing for her second heart surgery in Beijing, with custom medical parts scheduled to arrive in late March 2026. The surgery will cost approximately RMB 100,000, and this event is a vital part of rallying the community to help make it possible.

You don’t need to be a marathon runner to join. Run & Brunch offers something for everyone. Run or walk at your own pace. The important thing is to come out and support the community together.

Eleventh grader Autumn Cherney has been a part of the KM for Love club for two years and has made many visits to the Dewdrops orphanage. This year, in addition to adding live music to make it more exciting for fellow music lovers, she’s also responsible for finding raffle sponsors. Thanks to amazing local partners like QMex, Slowboat, Las Musas, Pignut, Slider Nation, Hatsune, the Vet Clinic, and Pie Squared, they have gathered some great prizes to help support the cause.

They’re currently looking for student bands to join the lineup and share their talent while supporting this wonderful cause! If you or your students are interested in performing, please reach out to Autumn Cherney at 27autumnc@wab.edu or contact the KM for LOVE team directly.

After the run, refuel with a delicious spread of brunch of fresh fruit, sweet treats, and unlimited pancakes. Bring your family and friends for a feel-good morning of connection and compassion.

Grab your entry tickets via the QR code below and join the fun. Run for love, rally for Fei’s quick healing! Hope to spot you there. Can’t make it? Donate virtually instead!

Find it:
10 Laiguangying Donglu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区来广营东路10号

Images: KM for Love

Head over to Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) tomorrow (March 25) for the kickoff of Cultural Canvas. They’re firing up an actual steamroller for art!

This is your chance to witness the incredible spectacle of massive, hand-carved linocut designs being pressed onto paper by a full-size steamroller right on campus. It’s art on an epic scale, and you won’t want to miss it!

But this event is about so much more than the thrill of the roll. The stunning prints you see and can purchase on-site are the centerpiece of a project with a powerful mission. “The purpose of printing these artworks was to fund a project called Cultural Canvas,” a WAB student shared. Students at WAB are collaborating with an African traveling teacher to bridge continents through creativity. Together, they are working to help children in Uganda and the Congo to improve their digital literacy while uniting around a collective passion for art.

This collaboration is already sparking a beautiful cultural exchange. Inspired by the project, a student in Uganda, Maria Tereza, has begun using tablets to create content that shares her heritage. In one tutorial, she shows the world how locals in her community weave traditional baskets. Now, students at WAB are following her lead, using her instructions to weave artworks of their own, which proves that creativity knows no borders.

By purchasing a print, you aren’t just taking home a unique piece of art; you are directly supporting this incredible initiative. All proceeds go toward supporting Nyarutembe School in Uganda, helping to provide resources and digital literacy programs for students there.

The exhibition runs from March 25 through April 13 at Hub Link at WAB, so come celebrate the opening day, grab a print, and see how art is connecting kids across the globe.

Images: WAB

The holiday season should be about more than getting everything on your wish list. It’s the perfect time to give back to the community and those in need. We spoke with Ola about the annual Santa Food Drive, a heartwarming initiative born from a simple desire to channel the community’s kindness into tangible support for the city’s stray dogs in need. What began as a small rescue effort among friends has blossomed into a crucial campaign, providing tons of food, warm shelters, and vital supplies to overcrowded and underfunded sanctuaries.

Read on to learn about the inspiring shelters they support, the profound impact of every donation and how you can help spread comfort and joy to hundreds of dogs in need this season.

Tell us about yourself, your annual Santa Food drive and how it started.

First, I am very thankful to jingkids for giving me this opportunity to introduce our Christmas animal charity.

My name is Ola, and over the years, partnering with two like-minded friends Polly and Mariana, we’ve cared for countless animals together as “Layers of Love” and met so many kind people who offered help in all kinds of ways.

As our rescue circle expanded, we sought to create more opportunities for others to join in. That’s how the annual Santa Food Drive began. Thanks to generous donations at Christmas and even on Valentine’s Day, we’ve been able to buy wooden houses, heaters, mattresses and several tons of food for local shelters. There are so many shelters out there – overcrowded, underfunded and often forgotten. Every bit of support truly makes a difference.

Is there a particular dog’s story or a shelter’s situation that personally inspired you to help?

Every day, every shelter struggles with the same challenge of how to feed all its permanent residents. We know that there is a way to help, to take action.

Which shelters is the money going toward helping?

I’m honored to introduce four shelters that will benefit this Christmas. Zhong Xiaosong’s shelter cares for over 340 dogs, including many that are old, sick or disabled. Miss Weili’s shelter houses nearly 500 animals, including dogs, ducks, cats, goats and chickens. Rose Garden has faced multiple relocations, carries huge debts and cares for 270 animals. Finally, Miss Fang’s shelter in Langfang continuously rescues dogs from meat trucks.

Where did all these dogs come from?

Honestly, it might be easier to say where they didn’t come from! The hardest part is that most of these dogs are incredibly friendly and loving toward people. They would make amazing pets despite some of their difficult pasts. Adopt, don’t shop!

What’s the fundraising goal, and how did you come up with this amount?

This year, we’re aiming to raise RMB 30,000, which will provide 3 tons of nutritious dog food directly from the factory. But if anyone feels inspired to donate any other food, old bedding, toys or other pet supplies, they’re more than welcome to join us by scanning the code to enter our group. Any help will be very appreciated.

What’s the plan to ensure transparency on how every donation is collected and distributed?

For the past three years, we’ve maintained a dedicated group where I provide daily updates on every transaction during our Christmas charity events, including purchase receipts, delivery details and other information to ensure full transparency.

Now, please tell us the steps on how we can help these pups in need.

Join our group or scan the code on the poster to share the festive spirit with those who need us the most.

Images: Ola

Get ready for one of Western Academy of Beijing’s most anticipated community traditions, the WAB Winter Market, returning on Sat, Nov 22, from 10am to 3pm. This festive, family-friendly event brings together students, parents, staff and the wider Beijing community for a day filled with food, fun and fantastic finds for a great cause.

A major highlight this year is the Roundabout Book Sale, a treasure trove for readers of all ages!

Stock up on wonderful secondhand children’s books, young adult novels and adult fiction and non-fiction, all at incredibly low prices, and all for charity.

Join WAB for a day of joy, generosity and global flavors at this festive and fun market for the whole Beijing community, and be sure to stop by Roundabout’s booth to say hello.

Images: WAB, jingkids

On Jun 20, the second Celestial Charity Fair happened at Novotown in Zhuhai. It was a fair organized by myself and some friends at my new school. This was my first time organizing the fair. However, my first ever experience in organizing charity fairs was back in second grade, and this was my journey.

I was part of the student council back in second grade, and we were looking for ways to donate to charity within the school unit. Back at Beijing City International School (BCIS), the awareness of donation and helping others in need was spread throughout every corner of the school, and of course, when I was in student council, it was one of the main targets for our work. I remember so clearly that I simply talked to some of my friends in my homeroom class, asking them if they were up for the work, and after I got myself a team of three or four people, I went to Walmart (back when Walmart still had a store in Beijing) with my mom that evening to pick up some snacks and drinks to sell at the event. I had someone on my team make a poster for it, spread the word around the grade, and I even was smart enough to think that some people might forget to bring money to pay for the things they’d buy, so I made a chart to record their names, grade, and homeroom class so that I could keep track and hunt them down the next day. It was towards the end of the school year when we organized the fair (literally one day before the end of the school year, to be exact), so we were in a big rush, but we still successfully raised a few hundred RMB for the charity Help a Child Smile, and I was very satisfied.

The last day of school was a half day, and Grade 2 had a picnic on the hill of the playground. Even though I did hunt down the people who did not pay the day before at the event, they still had forgotten to bring cash, so I made them give me a few of their snacks they brought to the picnic as a form of trade. As I recall this event right now in eighth grade, I feel extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to host this event and raise that amount of money in just one lunch break, with so many people running towards that bench that wrapped around the gingko tree because they were so excited about the fact that they could buy snacks. Even though I did not make any money from that experience, it set me up for hosting a similar event again in third grade.

I hosted a similar event again in third grade, at the same location, with a few more people on the team, and perhaps the lesson learned was that I have to make people pay or else there will be less money raised. I remember making over a thousand RMB in third grade from the charity event, and we donated to the same charity that year. Some people in the grade were impressed by the team’s organization. No teacher was really involved in the process, and no teacher even complimented us for our efforts, but they only looked at us in suspicion, thinking that all of this might not have been true. My journey of holding charity events was put on hold until I came to my current school in Zhuhai.

My friend Brian, who is currently in ninth grade, is the founder of the Celestial Charity Fair, and he first held this event at school last year when he was in eighth grade.

This year, the revenue from the event not only helped the homeless dogs in Guangdong, part of the money also went to the Guangdong Lions Club’s Sea of Stars team, which is an organization that helps children with autism and their families. Organizing the event with Brian this year was a very different experience to what I did in second and third grade.

Before, I had bought my own products to sell, but here we had vendors from both in school and out of school come to the fair to sell their own goods. Thus, we faced issues with not having enough vendors, not being able to find a sponsor, and also not being able to get enough prizes for the lucky draw (even though we ended up with perhaps a few too many prizes, to the point where some people were numb to some of them at the end). My sustainable fashion brand Eco Apparel sponsored seven discount vouchers in the lucky draw, in hopes of more people being interested in the brand. I found out that once we got more parties and different people in the team, we were able to gain so many more diverse aspects into the event, which made it a lot more fun for customers. For example, one parent from the PTA even got three horses to come to the event so that people could experience what horse-riding was like. Another teacher got an Italian bakery to attend, and their pizzas and breads were delicious. Brian, being a music enthusiast, got his band to perform at the event. So, having a team is definitely more effective than trying to handle everything by yourself.

After experiencing how organizing an event is like on different scales, I of course, will not be stopping there – hosting a MUN conference is also on my to-do list for this year, so let us look forward to that, shall we?

Spending so much time on and putting so much effort into something that you may not seem to directly benefit from may seem like a “waste” to you – but it is important for kids to know that when they are fortunate enough to be able to have a shelter, water, food and education, it becomes their duty as humans to give back and to let the differences caused by injustice be eliminated as much as possible. If we are able, others should be able as well. If your child wants to host a charity fair in their community or school, they can find a charity to collaborate with from their school, or Roundabout (they sometimes put their donation boxes in schools if they are a collaborator, so you can inquire if your school is a connected school). Help a Child Smile is also a charity that a lot of schools have connections with in Beijing. Those two charities are both focused on helping underprivileged children, and if you have another cause that you want to help, you can always donate to them through their website or online platforms.

Images: Margaret Yang

Grade 10 student Monica Cao is proving that you’re never too young to make an impact. This year, she’s spearheading a Children’s Day Online Charity Auction to support the Beijing Cherish Autistic Rehabilitation Center. The auction is live and will run until Jun 1 at 6.30 pm. This digital fundraiser invites everyone to scan the QR code and bid on great prizes, turning compassion into concrete help for those in need.

珍爱孤独症儿童康复中心 (Beijing Cherish Autistic Rehabilitation Center) is a center in Beijing for kids and adults with autism and other disabilities, like cerebral palsy. It started in 2007 in Tongzhou, and has helped over 200 people with therapy, special classes, and adult care. There are 50+ teachers doing one-on-one lessons, group activities, and therapy. The organization also has a place in Tangshan for older kids to learn skills and art. The group’s mission is to help people and make families happy.

We spoke to Monica to find out more about the charity auction.

What inspired you to organize this event, and why focus on children with autism? 

I was inspired to organize this online charity auction due to my school’s six-year commitment to supporting the Beijing Cherish Autistic Rehabilitation Center, as well as my family’s personal contributions in the past. This cause means a lot to us. The center’s dedication to providing essential therapy, education, and support for children with autism motivated me to contribute further. With the help of my father, “The Foodie Emperor,” we were able to get quite a lot of awesome auction items from the local F&B community. Also, participating in a school charity club trip to the center was an eye-opening experience. Witnessing firsthand the impact of the center’s work on these children inspired me to raise funds for food and supplies to keep their mission going forward. Because it really is a great cause!

How are the auction items selected? Are there any standout donations? 

Dad asked his friends in the F&B industry. And they are the unsung heroes in Beijing as they ALWAYS support the local community and were happy to help. The standout prize has to be TRB’s donation of dinner for two at one Michelin-starred TRB Hutong or lunch for six pax at Iberico by TRB, which was worth over RMB 5,000.

What has been the community’s response so far?

It started out slow since most students don’t have a lot of funds to spend, but then my parents started to push it out to friends, and then their friends pushed it out. So, it has gained a lot of traction in the past couple of days.

Can people participate if they don’t want to bid but still want to contribute? 

Absolutely! Anyone who wants to donate can add 宋宝玲 from (珍爱孤独症儿童康复中心). She’s the boss of the organization, and she’s an amazing woman. If you look at her moments, she is always transparent about any donations that she receives, and you can see that everything goes directly to the kids. You know what you donate is going to a good place and for a good cause.

What is your fundraising goal? 

I would have been pleased with RMB 10,000 total. But today it went a little viral, and we are over RMB 12,000  already and still have a few days to go. Since this has been so successful thus far and we have had such amazing feedback, I plan to continue this online auction every Children’s Day going forward. Hopefully, I can get some more students involved and we can make it even bigger next year.

Do you have a personal connection to autism advocacy, or was there a specific moment that motivated this initiative? 

Going to Beijing Cherish Autistic Rehabilitation Center and seeing the kids was a shocking and eye-opening experience. Once you have been there, reality hits you hard. Really hard!

What has been the most rewarding part of organizing this auction? 

Helping the kids and giving back to the local community! I’m looking forward to working with Ms. 宋宝玲 and finding out what the children need. Then I will order the food and deliver it to the center before the end of the school year.

What message would you like to share with potential bidders and supporters? 

If you would like to bid in the auction, it has a deposit of RMB 100, which you will get back after the auction. The auction will end on Jun 1 at 6.30pm. If you win, please pay within 24 hours; otherwise, it will go to the next highest bidder. If you would like to support Beijing Cherish Autistic Rehabilitation Center, you can add Ms. 宋宝玲’s WeChat and donate directly. They accept all donations, including food (especially rice, flour, and oil). And if you could, please tell your friends and share this auction and cause with them!

Images: Monica Cao, TRB Hutong, Preston Thomas, freepik

Roundabout’s book fairs are truly a hidden gem. These fairs offer an incredible opportunity to discover secondhand books at astonishingly low prices, with some being as cheap as RMB 1.

Paperback: RMB 10
Hardcover: RMB 20
Kids books and unique books are priced starting at RMB 1

Not only does Roundabout provide a haven for those seeking literary treasures on a budget, but it also serves a great cause. The money spent at Roundabout goes back to charity, making your purchases a contribution to a worthy endeavor. It’s a win-win situation where you can expand your personal library while also making a positive impact on the community.

The next book fair will be held next weekend on Saturday (May 10) at Beijing International Bilingual Academy from 10am to 3pm.

Please bring your own shopping bags on the day. If you’ve got additional spare bags at home, feel free to bring those along with you to donate to Roundabout.

All the books sold at Roundabout book fairs are donated and then sorted with the help of their hard-working volunteers. If you’d like to volunteer at Roundabout, scan the QR code below.

If you’ve got unwanted books at home, bring them with you on Saturday and donate them to help a great cause.

If you’d like more information about Roundabout book fairs or if you’re looking for ways to help out, please scan the QR code below.

Find it:
1 Yumin Dajie, Houshayu, Shunyi District
市顺义区后沙峪裕民大街1号

If you love Roundabout bookfairs as much as we do, mark these dates in your calendar!

Images: Roundabout

Music has the power to heal, unite, and inspire change. This Saturday, bring your family to Pinnacle Plaza for some community spirit, and rock out for a noble cause at Rock Against Cancer.

This concert is about more than just great music – it’s about making a difference. All proceeds will go to Happy School, a project run by Roundabout that provides education, joy, and emotional support to children battling leukemia.

For children undergoing long-term leukemia treatment, life often pauses – school, friendships, and everyday joys are put on hold. Happy School brings light into the lives of these children by offering educational classes to keep their minds active and engaged, workshops and activities like sports, field trips, movie nights, and reading sessions that restore happiness and normalcy, and emotional support to help them face adversity with courage, hope, and love.

As the organizers say: “Happiness is a magical medicine. We want these children to learn to love – themselves, others, and life itself – even in the toughest times.”

Helping build brighter futures for these brave kids together with the Beijing community this Saturday.

No concert is complete without great food and drinks! Llama Mexican Pub will be serving up mouthwatering burgers, hot dogs, and ice-cold beers to keep the energy high throughout the day. Come enjoy live music while supporting children in need. Don’t miss this chance to enjoy incredible music while making a real impact. Grab your friends, come hungry, and rock out for a cause! All proceeds will go to Happy School.

Find it:
Sat, Apr 26, from 1pm to late
Shunyi Villas and Pinnacle Plaza, 99 Yuxiang Lu, Tianzhu Development Zone, Shunyi District
顺义区天竺开发区裕翔路99号

Images: Pexels, Roundabout