ILCM marks 35th anniversary with charity ball

Sophie Lei

The International Ladies Club of Macau (ILCM) marked its 35th anniversary with its Annual Charity Ball on Saturday at J.W Marriott, raising over MOP1.2 million.

Some 270 participants attended this year’s ball, where the group launched its digital bidding system to increase convenience for bidders.

Incepted in 1982, the main purpose of the club was to provide a social platform for women to gather and perform charitable works together.

Sophie Lei, president of ILCM, sat down with the Times to share how the club has lent society a helping hand over the years.

Lei first came to know about the club in 1989, when the club members had already been visiting orphanages and elderly homes.

“I thought that it was a very good idea, other than social events that we do, we know how to share [with the needy],” she said.

She said the club currently has more than 200 members, nearly 80 percent of who are expatriates. 

“Nowadays, other than the expats, we have a good number of local people who [have] joined the club,” she said.

The association usually has a list of 23 charitable associations that they assist, including individuals in need.

ILCM’s volunteers assist local charities through hands-on volunteer aid and monetary grants. They also distribute donations and sponsorships through funds raised by ILCM fundraisers.

The group’s Community Services team also liaises with businesses and charities, and helps them obtain financial grants that are beyond ILCM’s budget.

ILCM’s latest annual report, dated from June 2015 to June 2016, states that the club distributed over MOP1,253,000 to fund or purchase water filters, food, youth events, oxygen machines, educational trips and materials, building repairs, the partial purchase of a van and other expenses.

Lei admitted that it is currently harder to raise funds for the needy as the residents have a greater awareness of these associations.

“It’s not that easy for us to raise money as before, because people know that if they want to help someone, they can go directly to them. But that was also the growth of the society that we love to see, because people are really aware that there are some less fortunate people around,” Lei explained.

While the ILCM Facebook page has over 1,200 members, Lei noted that the page has also served as a platform for both expats and locals to seek and gather relevant information – not all of them are actual club members.

However, Lei hopes that they will eventually formally apply to be official members of the ILCM.

ILCM aims to acquire 400 members by the end of June.

“They pay a membership fee [of MOP500] to cover administration costs of the club. But we are so proud to say that we don’t have any paid staff. Everything is volunteer work,” the club president said.

Meanwhile, Lei expressed her hopes that the local government would allow wives of expatriates residing in the region the opportunity to work and contribute to society.

“I think they [government] should think about granting special working permits for these ladies to find a job. A lot of these ladies are professionals,” Lei said.

“Their kids are growing up and they have nothing to do [because] they are not allowed to work. So this is something that we feel bad about. We hope that if the government allows […], they can contribute,” she concluded.