By AG Elizabete Fong, Rotary Club of Macau
8 Rotary clubs in Macao turn their fundraising efforts to End Polio up a notch this year, with a public-facing charity run and walk in the morning and a large-scale World’s Greatest Meal to Help End Polio charity dinner in the evening on 22 October.
Jointly organized by the Rotary Club of Macau, Rotary Club of Hou Kuong, Rotary Club of Macau Central, Rotary Club of Guia, Rotary Club of Macau Islands, Rotary Club of Amizade, Macau, Rotary Club of Penha, Macao, Rotary Club of Oriental Pearl Macau, the annual fundraiser opens with a morning Charity Run & Walk at Hac-Sa Reservoir Natural Park . The Charity Run is 8 km in distance whereas Charity Walk is 3km. The Kick—off ceremony was officiated by Macau SAR Sports Bureau President Pun Weng Kun. Around 400 walkers and runners from Rotary family and local communities joined , including 145 Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors, Alumni and families.
“So far the Macao public really responded well,” says President William Tang of the Rotary Club of Hou Kuong, who chairs the Organizing Committee for this year’s End Polio Now campaign. “We’ve received 400 registrations to our Charity Run & Walk and we are happy to see the public joining Rotarians in this meaningful inclusive event. This is exactly what we were hoping to achieve. End Polio is a long-running cause championed by Rotarians everywhere. To eradicate it from the world requires more public awareness and involvement beyond Rotarians.”
The evening fundraising program is a Halloween themed charity dinner called “The World’s Greatest Meal to Help End Polio” (WGM) at Tromba Rija, Macau Tower. Li Ying, President of Rotary Club of Macau, says that their club has been holding the event for years on their own. “WGM is a fun way to raise fund, especially when we try to piggyback it with Halloween. Since last year, we started inviting all the eight Rotary Clubs in Macao to join. Half of the meal fee goes to the End Polio Fund while our Rotarians and their families and friends enjoy a great meal together with creativity and fellowship.”
Macau End Polio Day events successfully raised a total of USD10,000 for Rotary End Polio Fund with USD5,200 from Charity Run & Walk and USD4,800 from World’s Greatest Meal.
(@Oct 22, 2022, Macao)