Jennifer Ma

Seeing smiles on the faces of children living with cancer makes everything worth it for Jennifer Jin Ma.

The University of Auckland alumna volunteers for the Summer Children’s Foundation, a charity that organises fun activities for kids undergoing leukaemia treatment. She visits hospitals in Beijing to run the programme.

Jennifer says volunteering allows her to provide joy and laughter in times of need.

“These little gestures create so much happiness in the lives of children that are unable to go outside or engage playfully as other children would due to their conditions.”

The kids regularly hand-make her presents to express their gratitude. Jennifer finds this very moving.  

When she initially met the children, Jennifer was amazed by how resilient they were.

“The first time I volunteered, I expected to be greeted by families who would be very emotional or sad. What was so memorable was their positivity.

They were so strong and grateful that their child had a chance to survive. It was very touching to see such strength.”

Jennifer encourages the University community to get involved with Volunteer Impact Week.

“There is something wonderful about taking the time out of our busy lives to step outside of our own world and engage with volunteering.”
Her volunteering experience has taught her that every hour counts.

“Too often, we think that what we do doesn’t or won’t make a difference. But in my experience, more often than not our actions will trigger a snowball effect amongst the people close to us and our local community.

“Nothing is too little to contribute.”

Jennifer’s advice to alumni thinking about volunteering is to simply give it a go.

“Find an area that you are genuinely interested in and then just try it. There is no greater feeling than to know you are making a difference in this world.”