Rotary in Taiwan

THE ROTARY CLUB OF TAIPEI was the first Rotary Club established on the island of Taiwan, with a charter date of October 9, 1948. Our Charter President was C.K. Yen, who is also a past President of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The club was founded just three years after the end of World War II, and only one year before Taipei was made the provisional capital of the Republic of China upon the withdrawal of the Nationalist government in mainland China to Taiwan.  In the early days, the main emphasis of our club was on assisting orphanages and underprivileged children amid the difficult economic circumstances in those days.  Our club continues to support the underprivileged in Taiwan, as well as disaster victims, the aged and the handicapped. Since those early years, our club has continued to provide substantial monetary and human support to important causes both within Taiwan and in the Asia-Pacific region. Although Taiwan’s economy has grown substantially since the 1940s when our club was founded, significant needs still exist among the underprivileged in our society, victims of natural disasters, the young, the aged and the physically challenged. Within Asia, we continue to work to improve healthcare and address other challenges. We welcome all residents in Taiwan, and those visiting from abroad, to visit our club and learn more about our activities and our Rotary Club of Taipei family.

 

We are the FIRST Rotary Club in Taiwan and one of only two English-speaking clubs in D3480.  As of October 31, 2015, we have total 98 members (69 active members and 29 honorary members), from over 23 nationalities, including 13 female members. Rotary Year 2014-15 was very special: the president for Rotary International for that year was RC Taipei’s own Past President, Rtn. Gary Huang. 

 

Their hallmark project is a speech contest.  The English Speech Contest (ESC) is hosted by the Rotary Club of Taipei, now in its 66th year of service to the community. The ESC is in its 61st year having begun modestly in 1955, when the Rotary Club of Taipei sponsored two separate oratory competitions celebrating the theme that “He profits most who serves the best”. The following year saw the birth of the Inter-Collegiate English Oratory Contest which evolved to the current ESC format. Open to students at Taiwan ROC’s universities, the ESC continues to be a major service activity of the Rotary Club of Taipei. Over the years, thousands of students have benefited from the opportunities provided by the competition and have continued on to important professional and community leadership positions.Purpose of ESC 2016: to provide Taiwanese College and University Students with an opportunity to practice their English speaking skills and to express themselves and practice their public speaking by giving a speech in front of an audience on a topic chosen and researched by themselves in relation to the general topic of the ESC 2016: Be a Gift to the World – which is in line with this year’s Rotary International Theme.

Rotary Club of Taipei