AmCham South China Kicks Off its 2016 Charity Fundraising Effort with RMB130,000 from Mead Johnson and RMB100,000 from Jingxing Real Estate

GUANGZHOU, China, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Chamber of Commerce in South China (AmCham South China) today, at Grand Hyatt Hotel Guangzhou, announced details of its annual charity fundraising effort, of which the attendees included board members of AmCham South China, U.S. Consul General in Guangzhou, Mr. Charles Bennett, Vice President Finance, Greater China, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Mr. Edouard Macnab, and General Manager of Jingxing Real Estate, Mr. Jing Yijie.

Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20161201/0861612900-a  
Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20161201/0861612900-b

This year's program is co-organized by the Guangzhou People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Guangzhou Charity Association (under Guangzhou Civil Affairs Bureau), the Guangzhou Youth Development Foundation, and the Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, aiming to raise donations of material and funds. The in-kind donations will be distributed to Guangdong's impoverished Wuxing Village (part of Meizhou City) and other poor villages later this year and early next year. Additionally, cash donations will be used to finance medical treatments for orphaned children at Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center and to help the poor villages. All donations will go through Guangzhou Youth Development Foundation with proper receipts issued to the donors.

AmCham South China President Dr. Harley Seyedin has disclosed the plans and beneficiaries. He has also noted that weeks before the official launch, Mead Johnson Nutrition and Jingxing Real Estate had already pledged RMB130,000 and RMB100,000 in cash respectively.

An inspection tour of Wuxing Village and the nearby villages will be organized by AmCham South China on January 11^th-12^th, 2017. The destination, Wuxing Village, is located in Wuhua County of Meizhou City. According to the official demographics, there are 143 people of physical disability, 84 relatively poverty-stricken households, 300 relatively poverty-stricken villagers and 22 poverty-stricken households in need of house renovation.

This is the 7^th consecutive year of AmCham's overall charity activities. As a foreign business organization with long-term dedication to the public welfare, AmCham South China calls for more attention from all sectors of community on the development and growth of the poor population and the children in severe condition with a purpose of cultivating a broader future for them.

Events planned under the cooperative effort include:

1. Press Conference on December 1, 2016

- To inform the press and the public about the background and action plan of the Charity Theme Events and to build awareness of the need for philanthropy and to collect donations for initiating poverty alleviation projects in Wuxing Village and orphans in need of medical treatment.

- To call for more donors' participation.

2. Inspection Tour of Wuxing Village and Other Poor Villages on January 11-12, 2017

A corporate delegation with experts and potential investors will visit Wuxing Village for projects, accompanied by a team from the Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center who will provide free medical services to villagers, and build awareness of the need for philanthropy.

About The American Chamber of Commerce in South China

The American Chamber of Commerce in South China (AmCham South China) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to facilitating bilateral trade between the United States and the People's Republic of China. Certified in 1995 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C., AmCham South China represents more than 2,300 corporate and individual members, is governed by a fully-independent Board of Governors elected from its membership, and provides dynamic, on-the-ground support for American and International companies doing business in South China. In 2015, AmCham South China hosted nearly 10,000 business executives and government leaders from around the world at its briefings, seminars, committee meetings and social gatherings. The American Chamber of Commerce in South China is a fully independent organization accredited by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. All AmChams in China are independently governed and represent member companies in their respective regions.

The mission of the American Chamber of Commerce in South China is to promote the development of trade, commerce and investment between the United States and the People's Republic of China with a special focus on South China; to provide a forum in which member businesses can identify their common interests and discuss solutions for common problems; to work with and advocate member interests with relevant organizations in South China, elsewhere in China and the United States, and to set the standards for corporate social responsibility for the community that the Chamber serves.

About Wuxing Village

Wuxing Village is home to 680 households, with the total registered population around 4,600. A preliminary household survey shows that 157 households of the village (909 people) currently live below the poverty line, accounting for 23% and 19.8% respectively of the total household number and the total village population. The village is home to a primary school without a proper shield, a village committee without a separate workplace, and a heath station without existence.

SOURCE AmCham South China