Citibank Taiwan Ltd (台灣花旗) and United Way of Taiwan (UWT) yesterday announced the launch of their 24th annual fundraising campaign in Taipei, calling for charitable donations from the public to fund small and medium-sized social welfare groups and help those in need.
Citibank Taiwan chairman Paulus Mok (莫兆鴻) said for the past years, there have been many people who have silently supported the Citi-United Way Fundraising Campaign, adding that their seemingly “ordinary” act has in fact created many “extraordinary” and touching moments for those in need.
He said Citibank Taiwan has been serving customers in Taiwan for more than 50 years and it has always taken corporate social responsibility seriously, by not only encouraging staff member and clients to make charitable donations, but also incorporating innovative thinking to help people with different needs through various programs, such donating solar panels and holding toy recycling programs.
Photo courtesy of Citibank Taiwan Ltd
UWT director Chen Yong-Ching (陳永清) said the annual Citi-United Way Fundraising Campaign each year helped more than 1.1 million people with different needs in Taiwan.
He said as donors are usually concerned about how the donations are put to use, about 200 specialists and committee members last year spent more than 9,700 hours to reasonably allocate the about NT$260 million (US$8.4 million) to 330 small and medium-sized social welfare groups.
Chen said he personally observed two issues that needed to be addressed in the past few years: one is elderly people being left behind in rural areas due migration from rural to urban areas, and the other is how the growing number of new immigrants and their children adapt to Taiwanese culture and society.
Chen said while coordinating with the government’s Long-term Care Service Program 2.0 and children education policies, the UWT hopes that members of the public can also support those in need of better care or education through the fundraising campaign.
Taiwanese singer Cheer Chen (陳綺貞) was invited to be the charity ambassador for the 24th Citi-United Way Fundraising Campaign, and echoing the Year of the Pig next year, Taiwanese illustrator Magger designed the visual character for this year’s campaign, which is a smiling pink pig wearing an orange-and-yellow shirt and carrying a camera.
Cheer Chen said the pig carries the camera to take pictures of “love” in everyday life, which suggests that people might feel ordinary, but they can do something extraordinary for others by just changing their perspective and doing a small act, such as donating to help people in need.
The fundraising campaign will run until Feb. 28 next year.
People who donate NT$500 or more for 12 consecutive months or make a single donation of more than NT$6,000 are to receive a specially designed pig doll and a beverage bag.
More details about the campaign can be found at its official Web site (www.unitedway.org.tw/citi24/).
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