President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of May 26 at the Presidential Office with foreign guests attending the 2009 United Way International's Asia/Pacific Regional Conference. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), expressed a warm welcome and appreciation to the guests for coming to Taiwan.
The president commented that the United Way concept of fundraising was introduced to Taiwan less than 20 years ago. He said that as he serves as honorary chairman of United Way Taiwan, he has a good understanding of the organization's operations. The president said he feels that the United Way's methods of fundraising are quite innovative and very practical. Appropriate distribution of goodwill by the community and strict oversight enable resources to be effectively allocated to sectors in need. This method is a very good one, but it needs to be promoted even further here, he said.
President Ma said that the scale of operations of the United Way in other nations is quite a bit larger than in Taiwan, meaning that we have a long road to travel. He said that over the past decade he personally has frequently raised funds for the United Way. The president said some have even called him the United Way's "money tree." The president, however, said he is thrilled to serve in this role, since helping others has been a tradition in his family. President Ma said he has also long paid close attention to social welfare issues and hopes that United Way International and United Way Taiwan will further strengthen their collaboration, thereby helping even more people in need.
United Way International President Brian Gallagher thanked President Ma for taking time to meet with the group. He also said that he is impressed that President Ma even after taking office has continued to participate in United Way activities and serve as its honorary chairman. Mr. Gallagher said while United Way Taiwan is not overly large, its operations and development over the past several years have been quite successful. The organization frequently cooperates with well-known entrepreneurs, which has helped it make significant progress in its fundraising initiatives, he said.