French Chamber of Commerce to hold gala dinner on Jan 25

Rutger Verschuren (center) and other FMCC members

The France Macau Chamber of Commerce (FMCC) will hold its annual charity gala dinner on January 25, aiming to raise some MOP80,000 for a project that will benefit underprivileged elderlies.

Themed “First Class to Tahiti,” proceeds of the funds will support Macao Fok Sin Association’s (MFS) project “Visit the Elderly,” which aims to conduct visits and bring gifts to the elderly who have low mobility and are lacking emotional and financial support.

Last year, through selling lucky draw tickets, the gala dinner raised nearly MOP80,000 to support the project.

These funds were used to purchase kits that each contained a cane umbrella, reading glasses, cotton coat, wool hat and scarfs, along with other necessities.

The group visited the social housing complex in Ilha Verde and Coloane and distributed a total of 160 packages to 80 elderly households.

“We will collect funds by selling lucky draws. It is quite successful every year and we hope to raise MOP70,000 to MOP80,000 which will go straight to the hands of the elderly, the needy ones who have family troubles or financial issues,” said chairman of FMCC Rutger Verschuren on the sidelines of the press conference held yesterday. 

“We really make sure that the items bought together with the MFS, will go to those people. We will hand deliver them like what we did last year,” he added.

Since the Chinese New Year is an important time of the year, Verschuren said that the project is also a way to give back to the community, hinting that the visits and activities conducted are more important for the elderlies.

“Although Macau is such a rich place for a lot of people, it is not as rosy as we think it is. During Chinese New Year, a lot of people or maybe families have […] children living far away, [so] by our activities; we give them some warmth during the time when it is expected,” said the chairman.

“The money value per person may be not that much but with the visits […] it’s helping those people and helps the giver in a way that it enriches [us] by understanding that it is not all well-to-do in Macau,” Verschuren added.

This is the second year that the chamber is working with the local association.

MFS is a group of residents who volunteer to offer services in a bid to provide a platform for the younger generation to volunteer through social work and raise awareness for community support.  LV