Around the corner of each of our community, you will find some seniors who live by themselves. With the record low birth rate in Taiwan, we are facing more and more seniors who are living along and below the poverty line with minimum support from the government. A lot of them tend to isolate themselves from the society due to their ever-deteriorating mobility, or illness. This can increase the chance of dementia as well as any hidden danger that can possibly cost a live.

Nanjichang is a place known for its concentration of some old public housings where a large amount of seniors reside today. Since its first food delivery service in 2002, the town center has grown into a daily group meal center for its surrounding senior residents who live on their own. It now provides not only meal service, but also physical activities, local library, even mid-way house occupation training for young adults who may have dropped out of school due to family emotional or financial reasons. Since 2020 due to the impact of COVID, it also started its own food bank project that would cover the other 5 surrounding towns, and now even expanded to island-wide for under-privileged families.

In support of Nanjichang’s project, donation boxes were set up in the lobby for a week from May 15th – 21st. We collected 3 major categories- cooking condiments, dry food, and adult diapers. We also recruited some volunteers for packaging and delivering to the site. The outpouring love we got from our Members was astonishing. Total of 31 boxes were collected and successfully delivered to the site.

May 2023 Riverbank Cleaning

– THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY –

Did you know 80% of the plastic waste comes from rivers? All the rivers in Taiwan carry 100% local waste and the first objective is to make people aware of the problem by showing them trash can be found in and around the river where they live and exercise. Why not start from our very own doorstep? – the Keelung Riverbank across the ACC front door.

We have the opportunity to work with the very experienced Society of Wilderness (SOW) in Taipei and invited them to help create a river cleaning program just for our Members on May 13th. On the event day, there are a total of 30 volunteers from the Club and everyone was eager to jump start the activity. Within two hours of time in the morning, we had collected 71KG of trash! Two groups were formed and assigned to cover two different areas. With SOW’s professional guidance, each group had a tracking sheet to record what we collected for each cleaning effort. This is also important for the organization to monitor the types of trash along the riverbank.

This event generated a resounding positive response among our Members. Here are some of the quotes from our survey:

“It was fun community service which we didn’t think there were so many trash in this small area of the river side. The organization helped us learn at this outing.”

“Happy to do all of the above with ACC members. Thank you so much for a great event and good job!”

April 2023 Lego Drive

As one of the most well-loved toys in the world, LEGO’s plastic bricks are famous for their good quality. However, their impressive durability can be harmful to our planet since they are non-recyclable nor biodegradable. Each brick can last over 1,300 years (approx. 45+ generations) in our natural environment. Luckily there is a simple way to solve this problem, and that is by donating your LEGOs! ACC came together with ReGivers, a non-profit organization, whose mission is to create a sustainable platform that allows anyone to pass forward their Lego bricks to those children in need while helping our environment in reducing carbon footprint.

Our collection boxes were set up in the lobby from April 9th to 21st, and we collected total of 30 boxsets, and approx. 61K loose pieces in this two-week period.

These little bricks of love will be shared in the Eastern and Southern parts of Taiwan with schools and associations, which do not have much government resource and supports. They motivate creativity and stimulate mobility among the youth and old. By sharing these blocks, we not only reduce waste in our environment, but also share our love with those in need. Let’s play it forward!

February 2023 Turkey Relief Donation

On February 6, devastating earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria in the early morning, and the death toll already topped 33,000. Here at ACC, we quickly reached out to the Turkey Trade Office in Taipei for donations they needed, and they responded with a list of items and the deadline. The donation corner was quickly set up in the Club’s lobby. Our Members responded right away with generous donations of winter overcoats, sweaters, beanies, socks, feminine hygiene products, and diapers. Some of our Members even ordered the donation items and had them sent to the Club via delivery service.

On Saturday February 11, the Turkey Trade Office announced they needed to bring up the deadline due to the overwhelming donations from all walks of life in Taiwan. Our staff and volunteer drivers-  including our very own President- Maria Ting and Member- Vincente Tang, quickly came to the rescue and delivered all donations in time to the NeiHu collection Center.

We thank all our Members who made the donations in the past few days in such a short notice. Your response again enhances the reputation of the Club’s care value within the international community.

January 2023 CNY Calligraphy and the Special Olympics Training Camp Visit

Continuing one of ACC’s longest traditions – the spring CNY calligraphy charity, we have once again partnered with the Chinese Taipei Special Olympics team who in June this year will head to the global competition in Berlin – last year the Games were cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. Our calligraphy masters who are all volunteers jumped in to help raise the fund for the team with their masterful spring couplets. ACC Members also enjoyed much of the celebration as evinced by their generous donations. Special thanks go out to our Members who participated in the event.

We would like to also thank the Special Olympics’ Regional President -Freda Fung, and the Deputy National Director- Bruce Lee, for inviting our Members to visit the athletes’ training camp in ChiaYi this year. It was very inspiring to see the works and efforts they put in to prepare for this year’s competition. We truly appreciated the opportunity and the hospitality.

“Thank you so much for arranging such a wonderful and inspiring trip. Seeing on-site helps me understand much more about what Freda and her team doing for the athletes with special needs! The confidence and pride of this rollerblading athlete energized me!”- Jessica Chan

November 2022 Christmas Bazaar

This year, we also launched our first-ever Club Christmas Bazaar with total of 17 commercial vendors and a designated area for the 5 partnered non-profit organizations- Faith for Animals, Sunshine Welfare Social Foundation, Beunen Foundation, ECPAT Taiwan, Prader-Willi Syndrome Association Taiwan (PWSA). ACC also set up our own booth to sell signature pastry, bread and beverages. Even Santa stopped by to check out the event earlier than his usual appearance at the Club.  For both days (November 25 and 26), we had estimated 200-300 visitors, including non-Members as it was open to the public to generate greater interests. While you shop for your favorite ones this Christmas, you are also donating to the five organizations! All ACC profits from this event will be donated evenly to all five charities.

November: 2022 Angel Tree Project

We are very excited to launch this year’s Angel Tree Project once again with The Taipei American School’s Orphanage Club, which has been partnering with and supporting the Pearl S. Buck Foundation since 1980. The Angel Tree, as can be seen in our Lobby, has morphed this year into a new look with a modern touch.

Don’t forget to pick up your Angel Card, scan the QR code on the back, and register your gift before you head out to make the purchase for the child in need. Most importantly, spread the word among your fellow Members and together spread the joy this holiday season.

There is a total of 95 Angel Cards being picked up this year by our caring Members, and all gifts were delivered by TAS as well as our very own President- Maria Ting to the Pearl S. Buck Foundation. Some of our Members also volunteered to participate in gift distribution on December 24 this year for the first time. The engagement and opportunity to bring the smiles to the recipient families are priceless. We THANK all participated Members this year. You truly bring the spirit of “seasons of giving” to this holiday.

October 2022: Breast Cancer Awareness Month with Estée Lauder

Estée Lauder Company’s Breast Cancer Campaign unites and inspires people around the globe in The Company’s mission to help create a breast cancer-free world for all. Mrs. Evelyn H. Lauder co-created the iconic Pink Ribbon, which is now recognized globally and every October is worn by many celebrities, politicians, and corporations. ACC is honored this year to be a partner with the Estée Lauder Company to launch this initiative by displaying our support of wearing the Pink Ribbon in October as well as promoting the donation gift sets provided by The Lauder Company in our Lobby.

September 2022 – Donation Program

For two weeks in September, we initiated the Donation Program by inviting all our Members to donate used or obsolete electronic devices and books to help out three worthy organizations – Faith For Animals (FFA), Sunshine Welfare Social Foundation, and Reuse (Green Miracles). Not only did we receive plenty of recycled items, but an outpouring of generous cash donations from our Members was also shown during the weekend (September 3rd and 4th) when the organization showcased their booths in the ACC Lobby. This gathering not only provided the opportunity for Members to gain further insight into each of the organizations but also created a more direct interaction, thus encouraging the “charitable culture”.

You can find out more about each partnered organization below:

July 2022 – Grand World Compassion Foundation’s English Teacher Recruitment

ACC assisted in promoting the recruitment of English teachers among its Members to volunteer and help underprivileged and lower-income college students better their education. We successfully recruited five volunteer teachers from our Members within a month of time frame.

You can find out more about Grand World Compassion HERE.

July 2022 – Fourth of July Silent Auction for the Community Services Center-Taipei

The Community Services Center is celebrating its 35^th year, a significant milestone for the organization.

Their services include providing quality support to Taiwan’s foreign residents to help them settle and acclimate to life in Taiwan. Chief among the Center’s attributes is its strong and diverse counseling team.

In addition to counseling, the Center organizes activities such as hikes and local tours, as well as cooking, exercise, survival Chinese classes, and orientation programs for newcomers. The Center really is an important cornerstone of the international community.

This year (2022), ACC held a silent auction in conjunction with our annual Fourth of July event to raise funds for the Center. A total of forty-four items donated by our Members raised about NT$81,000.

Supporting and giving back to the community is one of the Club’s fundamental values. As well as being an active part of the wider international community and a supporter of Taipei’s international community organizations, it is the Club’s goal to support local charity organizations and help others that are less fortunate – none of which could have been accomplished without the generosity and philanthropic acts of our ACC members. Here is a selection of ACC’s Community Involvement activities: 

July 2021 – 1,000 Dessert Boxes Delivered to Our COVID Frontline Medical Workers 

The Club, represented by President Maria Ting, Supervisor Ming-Chi Yung and General Manager David Brightling, delivered 1,000 seasonal mango cakes and drinks to the city’s first large COVID vaccination site at the Taipei Expo Dome on July 14 and 15 to cheer up the on-site medical workers, which was received by Representative Dr. Sheng-Huang Hsiao, Superintendent of Taipei City Hospital Renai Branch.

We wish to thank the Taipei City Government, Mayor’s Office for External Affairs for the support to make this donation possible. Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je was present and recognized ACC’s support, which not only gives back to the community but also helped the city’s epidemic prevention team. (Click here to read the full article.)

March 2021 – Spring Clothing Drive 

The Club partnered with a local community located in Jiantan; organized by a group of parents with children stricken by Cancer, Leukemia, and other rare diseases, and we invited Members to “spring-clean” with the purpose of supporting this worthy cause.

The Jiantan community is an informal organization supporting lower-income families faced with extremely expensive cancer treatments such as surgery; chemotherapy, radiation, bone-marrow transplants – and adding to the dilemma many of these families impacted negatively (loss of service industry jobs) due to the COVID pandemic. So by donating gently-used clothing (of course new clothing is more than welcome), we can pass on our love and indeed our help to these families and at the same time contribute to being environmentally friendly.

2021 Annual Lunar New Year Couplet Calligraphy Event

As one of the Club’s longest traditions; volunteers from ACC help organize an end-of-the-year charity event by inviting renowned calligraphy masters to visit the Club to auction their couplets and precious calligraphy artwork. Much appreciation for this goes out to all the ACC’s Members who participate in this event and who so generously make donations each year. Special appreciation is also due to Mrs. Charlotte Fang, Mrs. Ada Chiang, and Mrs. Lilian Pating who together organize  this very successful charity event. Throughout the years the recipients of the profits have been:

2020 Chinese Calligraphy and Goodies Bazaar – Ring Hou, Acting Director, Project Marketing and Development Division, World Vision Taiwan, presents a certificate of appreciation to General Manager David Brightling in recognition of the Club’s donation.

2021 ACC’s Year of the Ox: Chinese New Year Calligraphy – A special thanks from Charlotte Chen, the Co-Founder of Raising Children Medical Foundation.

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The Year of the Ox – Chinese New Year Calligraphy All Calligraphy

Year of the Rat: Chinese New Year Calligraphy and Goodies Bazaar – A special thanks to the Chinese Calligraphy Masters demonstrated such beautiful, traditional, New Year calligraphy Couplets and painted such elegant and delicate graphics on Lanterns at the ACC Lobby.

December 2020 – Angel Tree 

Since 1980, The Taipei American School Orphanage Club has partnered with the renowned Pearl S. Buck Foundation Taipei to fulfill the Christmas wishes of hundreds of these underprivileged children. In December of 2020, the Club’s Members signed up to be Christmas Angel sponsors and provided a gift for their sponsored child!

December 2020 – Santa in the Adventist Hospital

The Club General Manager David Brightling dressed-up as Santa and shared happiness by giving a surprise visit to the patients young and old and staff in the Adventist Hospital. Thanks to Dr. Ming Chi Yung and the wonderful team for making this possible.

Melbourne Cup Charity Luncheon

ACC supports and provides the venue for this annual charity event hosted by The Australia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (ANZCham). Always well-attended by ACC Members. Proceeds from this event go to The Salvation Army.

Melbourne Cup Event in the California Room

Dressed up for the Races

ACC Supports the Community Services Center Taipei

The Community Services Center is a non-profit organization that provides a support network of counseling, activities, events, cross-cultural education, and information services to meet the needs of the international community in Taipei and throughout Taiwan. The Center receives 50% of its revenue from fee-based programs, like counseling, continuing education, advertising, and 50% from donations generously provided by corporations, civic groups and individuals.  The ACC is a proud supporter of the Community Services Center and has been since 2012.

2019 & 2020:  ACC Donates to the Community Services Center Taipei

• ACC donates grand prizes to the Community Center’s annual auction at its Halloween Ball, as do Members Ms. Faye Angevine and Mr. Mike Brennand.
• At the October 2020 Blue Moon Monster Ball, the top bidder for ACC’s donation of Dinner for 70 guests at ACC was Ms. Pepi Liao.
• David Brightling, General Manager of the ACC, has served on the Steering Committee of the Community Services Center since 2019.

February 2013 – Member Donations of Household Goods

During February 4 to February 18, 2013, ACC Members generously donated truckloads of brand new or second-hand household items and books. The donations were distributed to the Taipei SongDe Woman and Family Service Center, which helps women and children that suffer from domestic violence – the Maria Social Welfare Foundation, which supports children 0-3 years old that suffer from developmental retardation, and the Tzu Chi Foundation, an international humanitarian organization.

Beaujolais Nouveau Wine Celebration Event

Each year this event organized by the French Chamber of Commerce in Taipei celebrates the arrival of the first “new wine” of the year, the famous Beaujolais Nouveau from the South-East region of France. ACC is proud to support and provide the venue for this important event in the French calendar.

Serving up the Beaujolais Nouveau at ACC

Catching up with Friends and Colleagues at the Beaujolais Nouveau Event

Taipei American School Annual Food Fair

Each year Taipei American School (TAS) runs an international food fair fund-raising event at the school. ACC is proud to be part of this annual event and enjoys the opportunity to provide our ACC club delicacies to the wider community – as well as of course – the financial rewards to the school.

ACC Staff Team at TAS Food Fair in 2013

ACC’s Chef Alpha at the Food Fair