Alumnus helps send 20,000 essential items to Wuhan

Micheal  Xiong wore a full hazmat suit, goggles, mask and gloves and worked a 12 hour shift at Stantec, the Auckland-based engineering consulting company he works for, to raise awareness of how hard doctors and nurses are working. Generous donations from friends and colleagues came in swiftly, which Micheal donated to the Hubei Association of New Zealand.

The association has since been able to ship 20,000 essential items to Wuhan hospitals, including hazmat suits, masks and gloves. The engineering alumnus says he felt helpless on the other side of the world while his hometown was under such strife, which is why he decided to act.

“The intention was to raise awareness about how hard the medics were working and how hard it is having to wear full protective gear, day in and day out. I pledged to wear a full hazmat suit, goggles, masks, and gloves and work for 12 hours straight to show support, raise awareness and of course raise funds to send more supplies to hospitals.”

He says he is humbled so many people supported the cause.

“The experience was humbling and with the support of kind people around me, we were able to raise nearly $2,700 in just six days. With this money, supplies are being purchased from all over the world and being shipped to other major cities in China, to be transported into Wuhan.”