Canada man honored as role model

Stanleigh talks with people at the English corner. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com]

Peter Arthur Stanleigh, a warm-hearted volunteer living in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, will debut in Foreigner in China, a documentary program on the China Central Television (CCTV), the Wuxi Daily reported April 16.

The 69-year-old Canadian came to Wuxi in 2001. He got himself a Chinese name as "Tang Lei". As the first registered foreign volunteer in the city, he opened free English corners at the City Center Park and Wuxi Library for learners to practice English. He also pays visits to the children welfare center from time to time. Children enjoy the time spent with this "lovely grandpa", who teaches them English songs and gives them gifts.

Stanleigh serves as a traffic warden. [Photo/wxrb.com]

Stangleigh has founded a volunteer organization involving local foreigners. He has also launched a "Green Day" campaign, attended by more than 100 volunteers. They clean streets off garbage and promote environmental protection awareness at the stations and tourist resorts. In 2010, he was selected as one of the Top 100 Chinese Volunteers.

Many people call him "foreign Lei Feng (a Chinese moral model)". Stanleigh regards it as a great honor and hopes his public spirit can inspire more people, as he once said "I do not want people to remember what I have got; I just want them to remember what I have done."