那是一次好运的降临。
我当时在设法找人帮助我实现帮助中国孤儿的“不可能实现的”梦想。感觉当时好像所有人都无能为力，但是命运却为我送来中国人口福利基金会的一位好友。那里唯一会讲英文的人——也就是你，接通了这通电话。这是我莫大的幸运。
张志荣（着红色上衣）
自从那天开始，我在追梦路上变得不再孤单。我有了真正的同行者，让我有机会能为那些孤残儿童略尽绵力。过去21年中，你是我的导师，为我指引方向，你是我的翻译，助我发声。
你出色的翻译，甚于我本来的表达。作为伙伴，也从未束缚过我的任何“异想天开”。
早期，在我们一起探访福利院的旅途中，你向我吐露心声，你也曾是一名孤儿，想要和我一样去帮助孤儿的世界更美好。你深谙如何与政府部门合作，知道如何推动事情的进展，并维持良好的合作关系。
你带领不计其数的西方志愿者来到中国这个陌生国度，带领他们穿梭在大城市的喧嚣，那些人跟我说，有时候，他们就像一群刚破壳的小鸭子，而你是为他们保驾护航的鸭妈妈。你为他们安排饮食，鼓励大家尝试新的菜肴。你让他们的行李失而复得，你精心安排，让志愿者的孩子们得到无微不至的照看，你甚至帮助他们在小商品市场上为一件微不足道的物品而杀价。
你和他们一起为孩子们哭泣。
张志荣（着红色T恤）
每听说一处福利院的孩子们需要帮助，我们便动身前往。飞机、大巴、汽车，我们乘着各种交通工具，踏遍整个中国。
起初，我们凡事亲力亲为，为新开设的项目添置儿童用品。那时没有信用卡，你带着一大包的现金，缠在腰间，像鼓出的啤酒肚。我们前往城里采购，所到之处，无不引来关注。当地人不仅驻足，甚至跟随我们一起购物，因为那时中国的老外还很少。
我们采购的物品从毯子、家具到儿童绘画用品和串珠。待到晚上，我们拿着一堆的收据，试图把金额对号入座，却总有些数字对不上，最后筋疲力尽，我们面面相觑，两个都不擅长数学的人禁不住相视而笑。
半边天基金会成立初期，有很多看似不可逾越的挑战，起初不肯认可我们工作的合作方，但是有你的加持，每一座山看着都不那么高不可攀了。 那些年的汶川地震、暴风雪灾也未曾阻挡过我们的脚步。
每每遇到棘手的问题，你都告诉我：“总有一天他们会主动来找我们合作项目的。”当时以为的天方夜谭让我们开怀大笑了好久。没错，那天会到来的！
但是，你看到了吗？张老师，这一天真的到来了。今天，我们去哪里都畅通无阻，大家为我们敞开大门。二十万孩子的命运发生了根本的改变！
事实上，没有你张老师，就没有半边天，就没有春晖，就没有一片天。没有你，每一座山都不可逾越。你是中国儿童的礼物，是我的宝藏！
谢谢你，我的大姐，我亲密无间的伙伴，我的秘密武器！
原文：
On Your Retirement Day—
It was a stroke of good fortune.
I was reaching out to anyone in the world who might be able to help me
realize my “impossible” dream for China’s orphaned and abandoned children. It seemed nobody could. And then fate and a kind friend sent me to the China Population Welfare Foundation in Beijing. You answered the phone. You were the only person there who could speak English. That was my great luck.
From that day on, I was never alone in my quest. I had a true ally in my efforts to make life better for hurt kids. For the past 21 years, you have been my guide, my mentor, my interpreter and my voice.
As my interpreter, you always made me sound better than I was. As my partner, you never scoffed at my big ideas.
An orphan yourself, you shared your deep sorrow with me during those early orphanage visits, but you also shared my resolve to somehow change things. You showed me how to work with government, how to keep making some sort of progress, while carefully avoiding making enemies.
You shepherded endless groups of Western volunteers, you stopped big city traffic for them (they often told me they felt like baby ducks following Mama.) You ordered food for them and helped them not be afraid of trying new things. You found their lost luggage, you arranged care for their children, you helped them bargain for trinkets in the markets.
You cried for the babies with them.
Together, you and I visited every orphanage where we heard the children were hurting. Airplanes, buses and vans…we covered China. We chuckled when drivers told us “Only two hours more.” We knew it would be five.
In the beginning, we bought supplies for the new Children’s Centers ourselves. There were no credit cards then. You’d load up a backpack with cash, strap it in front like a big fat belly, and we’d head into town. We turned heads wherever we went. The locals not only stared, they’d follow us while we shopped. Foreigners were still a rarity back then.
We’d buy everything from rugs and furniture to art supplies and beads. At the end of the day, when we tried to tally up the receipts, we never could agree on the numbers and, exhausted, we’d fall apart laughing. Neither of us was great at math.
Insurmountable as the challenges were in the early days of Half the Sky, immovable as some of the government officials and orphanage directors were, with you by my side, no mountain was too high. No earthquake or snowstorm could stop us.
When things got really tough, you always told me, “One day, they’ll be knocking on our door, begging for our programs.” The very idea would make us laugh and laugh. That’ll be the day!
But you know what, ZZ?… Today they are! The doors are pretty much open wherever we go. And 200,000 children’s lives are forever changed.
The truth is, ZZ, without you there would be no Half the Sky. No Chunhui. No OneSky. No mountains would have moved. You are a gift to China’s children and a treasure to me!
Thank you, Big Sister, my jie jie, my partner. My Secret Weapon!
Jenny Bowen