How China’s Charity Team is prioritizing both people and planet

Reliability, resilience, and sustainability are at the core of who we are and what we do every day at EnerSys. We pride ourselves in being active citizens within our local and global communities which is why Janet Zeng, of our Shenzhen, China office, assembled EnerSys China’s first Charity Team in August 2021 with a goal of regularly engaging her colleagues in charitable and volunteer efforts nearby the office.

Janet took the lead in creating the team and quickly found support from Amy Zhang and the senior management team, which nominated Kary Zhang as the first chair lady and found enthusiastic team members: Miya Tan and Oliver Huang.

As a first step, the team conducted research and met with local organizations to see where their efforts were most needed. The conclusion was to harness the time and energy of EnerSys colleagues to support some of the most vulnerable members of the community. After the origination of the Charity Team, the office regularly participated in volunteer events with elderly in the area and engaged with local special needs children through playtime activities, book reading and more. Kary had overwhelmingly positive responses from her EnerSys colleagues and received vast strong support to continue and expand the Charity Team’s efforts with the children, whom they affectionately refer to as “Star Children.”

While the team was also enthusiastic to continue their support for young and old alike, COVID-19 regulations that identified the Star children and elderly as high-risk, required the Charity Team to put these activities on hold. Faced with this obstacle, Kary and her team had to think of other ways to engage the office with the community in a way that wouldn’t put lives at risk.

Kary didn’t have to look far – nearly half of Shenzhen’s coastal waters are seriously contaminated according to the South China Morning Post. Located within walking distance of the EnerSys office, the Shenzhen Bay seemed like the perfect location to focus the team’s efforts, especially with World Ocean Day approaching on June 8.

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On May 13, over half of the EnerSys Shenzhen employees gathered in the rain to collect trash along the Shenzhen Bay. While the day was gloomy, the team’s spirits were high and they were able to gather and collect multiple garbage bags of trash in an hour. “Everyone felt invigorated to be outside,” said Janet. “The volunteers really enjoyed helping the community despite the weather and it’s something we definitely want to do again.”

As for what’s next, Kary and Janet say they hope to work with the elderly and children once it’s safe, and they’re also hoping to expand cleanup efforts to the Shenzhen mountains, which are also nearby the office. “There are still many corners of the world that need warmth, support and help in places that our eyes have not yet reached,” says Kary. “The power of an individual is limited, but small acts of kindness can light up the world for someone and make it a better place.”