CTBC Charity Foundation (中國信託慈善基金會) yesterday kicked off its 31st annual “Light Up A Life” charity drive, that aims to raise NT$100 million (US$3.035 million) to aid the nation’s disadvantaged children.
CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) led the fundraising effort with a NT$2 million donation.
“Although I was saddened to learn of the plight of disadvantaged children living in rural regions, I was also inspired by selfless compassion displayed of many individuals who have dedicated their life to helping disadvantaged children,” foundation chairman Jeffery Koo (辜仲諒) said at a press event yesterday.
In the past, children were put under the care of their grandparents as their parents need to work out of town to support the family, but in recent years there had been a rise in abandonment and abuse, Koo said, recounting his travels across Taiwan’s rural regions.
“In some ways, orphaned children are luckier, as they have been spared the pain of being abandoned,” Koo said. Many children were also abused by their parents, who are troubled by drug addiction and alcoholism, Koo added.
But Koo said that he was also inspired by a new generation of young teachers, many of them were once disadvantaged children, who have returned to their homes to help to complete the cycle of compassion. He also recounted an elementary school principal who took out a personal loan to build a dormitory to house abandoned children.
“Their efforts must be supported with resources, and this situation has given me new meaning to the concept of resource reallocation,” Koo said, noting that CTBC Charity Foundation cannot take on the effort alone.
Koo made the remarks at a commencement ceremony for the charity drive, where the foundation lit a 17-meter Christmas tree. The event featured a violin performance by a class of elementary school students from Huashan Elementary School (華山國小) in Yunlin’s Kukeng Township (古坑), who were able to pursue their interest in music with the help of the foundation.
In its three-decade history, the “Light Up A Life” initiative has helped raised about NT$1.5 billion, helping more than 330,000 disadvantaged children throughout Taiwan’s rural regions, providing them with the tools to have a chance to pursue their aspirations.
Donations made be made via fax and postal remittance, or at the counters of 148 CTBC Bank Co Ltd (中國信託銀行) branches, or the bank’s 5,000 ATMs nationwide.
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