Taiwanese donors share much in common
By Ryan Hyland
Rotary International News -- 5 October 2009
Top: RI President John Kenny (left) and wife, June, honor Yen-Shen Hsieh and his wife, Catherine, during a donor recognition dinner in Tapei, Taiwan, on 5 August. Bottom: James Chen, president of the Rotary Club of Taipei Castle, is recognized during the same dinner.
Photos courtesy Archi Jason Hsu
Taiwanese Rotarians Yen-Shen Hsieh and James Chen share more than just the same club. They also share an uncommon commitment to many of The Rotary Foundation's initiatives.
Their dedication is reflected in the unique way that both Hsieh and Chen, members of the Rotary Club of Taipei Castle, allotted their contributions of US$250,000 to help support several areas of the Foundation. They will both be inducted into the Arch C. Klumph Society on 5 November at RI World Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA.
After months of consideration, they decided together to spread their donations across the Foundation, signifying the importance of supporting all its efforts, says Hsieh, governor of District 3480.
"I learned more about the different Foundation programs to better understand where I wanted to donate," says Hsieh. "I collaborated with James so we both would donate the same amount to the same programs. I hope to continually support these programs in the future."
In July, Hsieh and Chen each allocated $180,000 to the Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution, $50,000 to the Permanent Fund, $15,000 to the Annual Programs Fund, and $5,000 to the PolioPlus Fund.
"I believe the combination of both our donations, divided up to support multiple programs, is stronger than a single donation," says Chen, president of the Taipei Castle club. "Every program in the Foundation is important to Rotarians and people worldwide."
At a donor recognition dinner in Taipei on 5 August, RI President John Kenny acknowledged the generous gifts that Hsieh, Chen, and other Taiwanese Rotarians have made to the Foundation.
"I know that the Rotarians of Taiwan understand the value of their contributions to The Rotary Foundation and have made the Foundation a priority in their charitable giving," said Kenny during his keynote address. "Taiwanese Rotarians have made 54 gifts of $10,000 or more this Rotary year, as well as the numerous gifts that are the lifeblood of the Foundation."
Kenny noted that Taiwan is home to 10 members of the Arch C. Klumph Society, "each of whom has individually made a significant difference to our Foundation's ability to do its work."
Along with Hsieh and Chen, three other Taiwanese Rotarians will be inducted into the society on 5 November: Sheng-Chien "Mirror" Chang, Yau-Fang "Gary" Chen, and Sui-Seng Hsu.