RI District 3500 Taiwan
Meeting Place: Sowa Refectory
Time: Thursdays at 6.30pm
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During the Rotary Zone Institute 2003, which was held in Singapore from 7 to 9 November 2003, RCBJ was assigned by our District to host visiting Rotarians from Taiwan. Over delicious Peranakan food, Rtn Win Liu of RCCLCS shared with our member Rtn Bobby Lim that his club will be celebrating their 10th Anniversary in May 2005. Hence, they were looking for an overseas Sister Club to broaden their club's international exposure. Following that meeting, their club's then President Rtn Dentist and Rtn Win attended our club's Installation Dinner in July 2004, and formally presented their proposal for a Sister Club arrangement.
Fast forward to 23 May 2005, Rotary Club of Bugis Junction, Rotary Club of Bukit Kiara Sunrise, and Rotary Club of Chiangmai Thinthaingam (Thailand) formally signed Sister Club arrangements with Rotary Club of Chung-Li Chung Shing during their 10th Anniversary Dinner held in Taoyuan, Taiwan. Through RCBJ's introduction, RCCLCS had managed to get three Sister Club arrangements formalized. There were clubs from four countries involved at the same event. This was unprecedented in all the four clubs' Districts.
RCBJ is honored to have played a key role in bringing the four clubs together and paving the way for collaborations in service projects. One such project in which all four clubs were involved was the "Grandma Care" project in Chiangmai. This project helps the surviving familiy members of Aids patients who were the main breadwinners before they succumbed to their illnesses.
Since then, reciprocal visits to the clubs' Installation/Anniversary celebrations has become a tradition. Both clubs have been active in carrying out Matching Grant Projects, such as the setting up of a computer laboratory in a hill tribe elementary school and the setting up of a children's library cum reading room for a local rural school. In August 2009, when Typhoon Morakot struck southern Taiwan, our member Rtn Philip Lim initialed fundraising to help the victims. The funds raised was used to repair schools that were damaged by the typhoon.
Relationship between both clubs has strengthened over the years as we continued to maintain close contact. Some of us have even become close family friends!