FMCC to raise funds for ‛Visit the Elderly’ project

Karen Wong (left) and Rutger Verschuren

The France Macau Chamber of Commerce (FMCC) will celebrate its 10th Anniversary Charity Gala Dinner with the theme “Extravagance au Moulin Rouge” on January 26, and will give the funds that are raised to the Macao Fok Sin Association.

FMCC, previously known as the French Macau Business Association (FMBA), aspires to reach MOP50,000 to MOP60,000 to support the local association’s project, “Visit the Elderly.”

The project aims to provide visits and useful gifts to underprivileged elderly residents with low mobility, who do not have families and who lack emotional and financial support.

The association will provide essential items including food, winter clothes and articles such as walking sticks and eyeglasses as part of the project.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, FMCC chairman Rutger Verschuren explained to the press that its target amount would greatly benefit the population of disadvantaged elderly residents in the region, particularly those who have yet to fully recover from Typhoon Hato.

“In previous years, we are talking in a range of MOP50,000 to MOP60,000. If we reach that, we’re quite happy and we can make a big difference for the underprivileged elderly residents. That would be the target,” said Verschuren.

Last year, FMCC raised over MOP48,000 to support Architecture Sans Frontière Macau (ASF-M) to revamp the local Good Shepherd Sisters Center.

The chamber raised funds for ASF-M at its 2016 and 2017 gala dinner.

“We did a great project [and] this year, we’re looking for a change. We found this association that is a really down-to-earth charity [which will donate] immediately,” said the chairman.

“This charity is also close to our personal sentiments as well, and it is not just one corporate donation,” he continued.

Macao Fok Sin Association provides a platform for young residents to participate in community works, while expanding their social network.

“We have to understand and accept that the unfortunate and underprivileged are a part of the community,” said Karen Wong, who represents the association.

The local association will organize visits during the Chinese New Year, which will take at least 30 minutes per group.

During the gala dinner, the two parties will raise funds through sales of raffle tickets, while the association will retail handmade silk balls that symbolize happiness, luck, safety and good health.

Meanwhile, Verschuren disclosed that the chamber would now act as a “magnet for companies in France who want to expand their services to Macau.”

The chairman noted that the chamber has received several enquiries from French companies about how to conduct business in the region and host visits to the SAR.

FMCC pledged to host more activities and business events, and provide further opportunities for its members now that it has transitioned from an association to a chamber.