One by One

What started as a health event in Taiwan, soon spilled over into a significant initiative for children.

Late last year, Amway held three Nutrilite Bike Day events in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung to promote exercise and nutrition.

People in Taiwan don’t often get the chance to ride their bikes freely on major highways in the fresh air with friends and family. So the event attracted large audiences, with more than 32,000 participating, including many Amway distributors and employees.

Every good ride needs a good finish. In Taipei, the ride ended at the Presidential Office Square. There, Amway set up a “charity carnival” that raised money for children with mental and physical disabilities.

At the end of the races, the event raised NT$7.1 million (US$231,648) for the Angel Heart Family Social Welfare Foundation.

In this bike race, everyone won.

Thanks to Julie Wu for sharing this story.

Amway was the only private enterprise to receive an award from the Taipei City Government earlier this month.

The Amway Hope Maker program received recognition for providing job opportunities to underserved populations and sponsoring educational resources for disadvantaged students in remote areas.

The award ceremony was held in the Taipei City Government Hall on January 10, 2012.

Congratulations to Amway Taiwan and all of its Hope Maker partners!

This year, Amway Taiwan marks 13 years of support for the Hope Maker program. Guided by the goal of “offering opportunities for people to pursue self-reliance,” Hope Maker provides jobs for those who have been severely burned, who suffer from oral cancer, or who have had other significant accidents that prevent them from entering society.

People like Wan-rou.

Wan-rou, who has a pair of clear and beautiful eyes, used to have a cheerful character. However, she lost everything immediately after a gas explosion. After the incident, she tried very hard to look for a job but failed.

Through the Sunshine Foundation, Amway’s Hope Maker partner, Wan-rou was given training and a job making high-performance cleaning towels. The towels are a special promotional item sold by Amway distributors in Taiwan, with the proceeds going to education programs for disadvantaged children.

Wan-rou has more difficulty sewing the mops than other people. However, she never complains because she has found a new start in the Hope Maker work team. Thus, every product is a handcrafted labor of love, providing a new life of hope for the workers.

Through the partnership of Amway, its distributors, employees and caring friends in Taiwan, we have collected than NT$ 53.4 million (US$1.74 million) for the Hope Maker program, helping more than 18,000 people over the years.

This year, Amway Taiwan plans to offer the program year-round, providing more jobs, helping more children with their education, and offering more opportunities for people to live generously.

Thanks to guest writer Julie Wu for sharing this story.

During our visit to Taiwan last month, we made an unscheduled stop.

The focus of our trip was the afterschool program supported by Holly Chen and Barry Chi, and many other Amway distributors in their network.

However, the president of National Taitung University couldn’t pass up the chance to catch one of his star students, in town for the day.

When she was only 15 years old, Holly Chen had left her small island town to travel to Taitung for college. This led to her first career as a teacher and her second–and last–career at Amway.

So when Holly was recently asked to help the University with transporting students between two campuses, she jumped at the opportunity.

The “Amway Plum Blossom” was donated in memory of Holly’s mother. The bus will continue the legacy of students improving their lives through education.

Our team had a unique opportunity to visit two of our top Amway distributors in Taiwan who are doing some amazing work for underprivileged children in partnership with Amway Taiwan.

Holly Chen and Barry Chi have achieved the highest recognition possible within Amway and manage their business across 20 countries. Yet they took the time to travel to the southern edges of Taiwan to introduce us to programs that are having a significant impact on children in need.

The Hope School project, led by theologian and child education expert Dr. Huang, provides afterschool and summer programs to children who may not otherwise have access to enrichment classes like sports, language, music and field trips. Many of the children’s parents have moved away to larger cities to find work, and some are orphaned or abandoned. The Hope Schools we visited in Tainan and Taitung provide critical support for these children.

The places we visited were bustling, energetic and full of Amway distributor volunteers in red shirts. The caring reached out to the surrounding communities, where families, churches and schools became a part of nurturing and encouraging the next generation of Taiwanese leaders … one by one.

Below are a few photos from the visit. More of the story, including a video, will be coming soon.

Holly Chen using her past experience as a teacher to help students with their homework

One of many Amway distributors spending time with at-risk children in Tainan

Barry Chi working with a student, with Dr. Huang observing their progress

Baskeball and badmitton recreational time with Amway volunteers

Students in Tainan who attend afterschool programs

Students in Taitung taking part in a special education program for aboriginal children

Amway distributors, Hope School staff and children celebrate their time together

Thanks to Nadia Ding and Julie Wu for their contributions to this story, and to the program.