Officials from the American Chamber of Commerce in South China (AmCham South China) last week announced that their AmCham South China 2011 charity event collected nearly RMB 1.8 million and in-kind donations worth more than RMB 630,000.

The AmCham South China 2011 charity event was organized by the Guangzhou People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the American Chamber of Commerce in South China and Guangzhou Women and the Children’s Medical Center, with all the funds processed by Guangzhou Youth Development Foundation. Half of the raised funds and will be applied to poverty reduction efforts in Meitang Village and neighboring villages, Wuhua County, Meizhou City, and half to funding life-saving operations for orphans.

The charity event received RMB 1 million in cash from Mead Johnson Nutrition (China) and RMB 100,000 cash from Color China Restaurant of Canton Tower. On September 21st, AmCham South China led its members to Guangzhou Harley Seyedin, President of AmCham South China and Liu Baochun, Director of the Guangzhou Foreign Affairs Office, led a charity delegation of over 100 members to Meitang Village, bringing truck loads of donations worth RMB 630,220 from AmCham member companies and offered free medical services for villagers. The delegation also inspected several construction projects, in the hope of making investments and achieving long-term development for the village by introducing advanced technology and management.

“The Charity Theme Event of this year has enormously aroused the public awareness of philanthropy and assured the efficiency and transparency of the entire charity process from donation to delivery,” said Seyedin. “Charity is not about money, it is about the heart. We have more to do.”