Dharma Master Cheng Yen was born in a small town called Chingshui in central Taiwan in 1937. When she was twenty-three years old, she left home to become a Buddhist nun. In 1966, she established the Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, and over the years this or ganization has concentrated its activities in the major areas of charity, medicine, education, culture, international relief, bone marrow donation, environmental protection, and community volunteerism. In 2011, she was recognized with the Roosevelt Institute's FDR Distinguished Public Service Award and was named to the 2011 TIME 100 list of the world's most influential poo-ple.