Rotary

Rotary lunch: 3 ambassadors!

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove
in Rotary

On 15 October our Rotary Club of Beijing had its weekly lunch, this time we were honored with the presence of three ambassadors: H.E. Manuel Valencia (Spain), H.E. Stefán Skjaldarson (Iceland – a Rotarian) and H.E. Sèdozan jean-Claude Apithy (Benin, member of our club). That guaranteed a pretty full house for once.

Also, a group of Rotarians from Iceland visited our club, exchanging banners and introducing their clubs. As Sergeant-at-Arms I had a hard time reading their names but one of the Iceland ladies graciously volunteered to help me pronounce at least the first names.

The speaker of today was the Spanish ambassador who gave a rather optimistic picture on how Spain is economically improving and could regain its glamor. We certainly need some optimism in Europe…

Visit to Beijing by Gary C. K. Huang, Rotary President 2014-15

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Though we are a small club, the Rotary Club of Beijing has seen a number of Rotary International Presidents visiting the city. In this case we had a relaxed dinner on 26 September in “Made in China” restaurant in the Hyatt Hotel (Oriental Plaza), with Gary who has been visiting our club a couple of times.

He will be the next president of RI in July 2014.
During his visit he met with series of very high level Chinese officials, showing the positive interest in our club. We look forward we will be able one day to open more clubs in China and also admit Chinese passport holders. Right now we have two clubs: Beijing and Shanghai. A third one is under way, in Guangzhou. Hoever the new club will be under the District 3450 (Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia and the PRC-Guangdong Province).

Rotaract Quiz in Beijing

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

The Rotaract quiz in Beijing was a success. On Monday 23 September 2013 Rotaract held its quiz in “The Local” (formerly called Brussels Restaurant).
We were all a bit nervous – how many people will turn up – but it was better than we could dream: full house, we had to scramble to get enough chairs.  In total 11 teams with far over 50 people. I was looking with amusement how both serious and enthusiastic all were to solve the riddles provide by our quiz master Anthony Tao (who did a great job).
Our Rotaract President Joe being out of town, Past President Ian was the MC, along with Rotarian Helen Boyle of MCF, and myself.
All proceeds were for MCF (Migrant Children Foundation http://www.mcfchina.org).

Prizes: wine donated by Gilbert  and Cheers Wines, plus Gilbert’s e-book.
Proceeds came from the 50 RMB per team fee, the raffle (all tickets sold!) and the contribution from The Local: for every Vedett beer sold, 10 RMB donated. Estimate: about 2000 RMB raised. But most important was the fun aspect of the event!
Congrats to Rotaract and pity not more Rotarians turned up.

2013 Charity Bazaar, 9-10 November 2013

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

See here the announcement of the upcoming Bazaar!

2013 Charity Bazaar, 9-10 November 2013 – Kempinski Hotel (Beijing)

It is our pleasure to invite you to participate in the Rotary Club of Beijing’s annual charity Bazaar, which is our key event to raise fund to support our charity work. This year we are again offering a fun day of pre Christmas shopping, entertainment, food and games for the entire family. With our exciting offering, we are expecting a very large turnout from the expatriate communities. As a charity event, all proceeds will be donated to support our charity projects.
The Kempinski Hotel has generously provided the venue for our Bazaar which will take place over two days from November 9th to November 10th. The event will be heavily promoted through the media and by the hotel.

Highlights:

– Over 70 vendors offering fashion and accessories, jewelry, handicrafts, health and beauty products, toys, etc.
– Exciting musical and dance performances
– Free wine tasting and makeovers
– Kids corner so parents can enjoy their shopping
– Raffle draw with great prizes

With excellent promotion, the Bazaar is sure to be a big success. Moreover, with your support, we will have more fund to help more people in need.
As a vendor, your table fee will serve as a donation to support our club’s charity projects. The amount will be based on the space available and location (Please refer to the floor plan for details.)  Also, you are invited to donate 1 to 2 prizes with value of CNY 100 – 500 for our raffle draw to help us raise more fund.  All proceeds from the Bazaar will be used to support charity work.
If you are interested, please complete an application form and return it to us before September 30th, 2013.  Should you have any questions, please contact us.  Thank you for your generous support!

Rotary Club of Beijing Bazaar Committee
5 September 2013
Email: rotarybazaar[at]126.com