Taiwanese tennis player Lu Yen-hsun (盧彥勳) yesterday asked the public to support independent living for the mentally and physically challenged, by dropping a few coins into collection boxes which can be found at most convenience stores.
Despite being in intensive training for the Rise of Legends exhibition matches that take place on Thursday in Kaohsiung, Lu attended a charity event where he asked for public assistance in helping to improve the lives of the physically and mentally challenged.
Pointing out the individual donations he has received during his tennis career, Lu said the disadvantaged in society are even more deserving of assistance.
The money raised from the campaign will go to social welfare institutes that foster the concept of independent living for the mentally and physically challenged, said United Way of Taiwan (UWT) secretary-general Chou Wen-chen (周文珍), the campaign organizer, adding that the group worked with 177 organizations and benefited 61,400 families last year.
As an example of how the money has changed lives, Chou highlighted a 30-year-old woman with a spinal cord injury who fulfilled her dream of becoming a radio host and a 34-year-old male who was able to land a job as a store clerk, despite suffering from a slight mental impairment.
“They can now connect with the community and do not have to rely on others to make decisions for them,” Chou said,
He added that the tailor-made training programs provided by the UWT are not subsidized by the government and can be quite expensive.
Chou said the UWT was working in cooperation with President Chain Store Corp (PCSC) and that collection boxes will be available at 4,800 of the company’s convenience stores nationwide.
Amy Yu, a manager at the PCSC’s Public Affairs Department, said every store follows standard procedure in handling charitable donations so the public could rest assured that all donations would reach those most in need.
“The money is checked on a daily basis, with at least one customer as a witness, and then wired to corporate headquarters before the end of the day. Every month, we post online details of the account and remit the money to UWT,” Yu said.
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