Editor's note: Check out a video of the gala's glitter and charity auction.
Now seven years running, AmCham China Northeast China Chapter’s annual Winter Charity Ball has become a signature event for Dalian and a major source of good for the community. This year, the event raised RMB 350,000 (up RMB 20,000 from last year) for three great charities: Dalian Little Dolphin Recovery Centre, Dalian Rixin Orphanage and Wang Dajie Elderly Care Home.
Held in partnership with the International Club of Dalian and Shangri-La Hotel Dalian, the Great Gatsby-themed ball welcomed more than 650 guests. Besides ticket sales and sponsorships, a lively auction toward the end of the evening encouraged attendees to give, give, give. Guests bid on round-trip plane tickets supported by Air Canada and ANA, stays at international brand hotels and resorts, fine jewellery and a laptop. The funds raised will be used to help the three charity organizations invest in facility upgrades, training for teachers, new study aids and daily operations.
Learn more about this year's charities:
Little Dolphin Recovery Centre is dedicated to rehabilitating children with autism in Dalian. Established in 2006, Little Dolphin has helped more than 300 children and currently provides 60 autistic children with rehabilitation. Proceeds from previous Winter Charity Balls have enabled this school to provide specialized training for teachers and parents. Twice a year, the staff is trained in Beijing and Hong Kong, where they learn the most up-to-date and effective ways to work with autistic kids. Additionally, Beijing professors have visited the center several times to ensure the staff is running the school in the most helpful and efficient way possible.
Dalian Rixin Orphanage, established in 1997, is a privately funded care center for children who are abandoned by or no longer in the custody of their parents. It was founded by Lin Jie, a successful businesswoman who was herself an orphan. She adopted an abandoned baby in 1993 and continued to work hard for children's welfare, pouring more than RMB 100,000 into setting up the orphanage. Rixin uses much of its resources to teach the children art, science and other studies which enrich their lives outside of regular study. Rixin also cares for children's mental health by inviting psychologists and Chinese traditional philosophy experts to help the children grow up with a healthy minds and bodies.
Wang Dajie Elderly Care Home was started up by Wang Yining in 2006. Wang was orphaned at the age of 13, and, with the selfless help and support of her community, she was able to persevere and become a successful business person. Wang felt strongly about giving back to the community and established the elderly care facility to support homeless and impoverished elders, treating them as her own parents. The home has supported over 120 seniors. In early 2014, Wang was injured in a serious car accident and is still recovering. This unexpected misfortune has impacted the entire operation of Wang Dajie Elderly Care Home. The donations from the Winter Charity Ball will help them through this tough time.
This year, the Winter Charity Ball received strong support from Intel Semiconductor (Dalian) Ltd., Vitup Health Care Holdings Inc., Volkswagen New Mobility Services Consulting (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Fidelity Business Services (Dalian) Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Goodyear Dalian Tire Company Ltd., Sun Asia Ocean World, M+W Shanghai Co. Ltd, PricewaterhouseCoopers Dalian, Obsidian Bar & Restaurant and Rockwell Automation Dalian Campus.
Zara Xu is Business Development Officer, Northeast China Chapter.