by Vir Lumicao
 |
| ICM auction in progress |
About 800 people of various nationalities attended the 12th annual banquet of the International Care Ministries (or ICM) held on Oct. 24 at the HK Convention Centre, and gave close to $15 million for some of the Philippines' poorest communities
The money raised in the four-hour event was a little short of donations collected in the same event last year, but the second-highest since the annual fund-raising dinner began in 2004.
The proceeds included $3.9 million (US$500,000) of matching funds donated by Find Us Faithful Foundation, a US charity, for every bid that exceeded $80,000
Nearly $2 million was raised in a silent auction for an assortment of 344 donated items ranging from paintings and sculptures by mostly Filipino artists, trips, jewelry, photographs, and other stuff.
 |
| 40 artworks were donated this year, a record for the charity event |
David Sutherland, chair of the ICM board, told supporters in a thank you letter that the fund raised represented 19% of the group’s annual budget of $76 million
“We are thrilled and thankful to report that the evening raised a grand total of HK$14.7 million,” Sutherland said. “This was our second highest banquet ever – we barely missed last year's record banquet of HK$15.1 million. We are grateful for your generosity,” Sutherland said.
He said the fund raised would be enough to finance social intervention activities aimed at improving the lives of 296 ultra-poor communities in the Philippines that ICM is supporting through its Transform program.
That was just 29 short of ICM’s target of 325 communities, Sutherland said
The banquet hall was designed for 65 tables seating 11 people each but 75 were set up for the event, said Daphne Kuok, a member of the banquet committee.
With the slogan “Hope shines through Transform,” ICM tries to equip ultra poor families with values, health and livelihood training as well as resources and support.
The NGO has its sight on some 2.2 million people who are struggling to survive on 38 US cents a day in 10 provinces in the Central and Western Visayas, in Mindanao and Northern Palawan.
Sutherland, a former chief financial officer of Morgan Stanley Asia, said at the end of the 16-week program, families would see on average a 106% rise in household income, a 28% drop in serious illnesses and a 19% increase in food security.
To show donors the impact of one donation given at a similar ICM banquet two years ago,a video on a Transform participant from Mindanao named Analyn was projected on giant screens around the hall
The video showed the woman and her husband struggling to feed themselves and two tykes from pedicab driving and shell picking. Through Transform, Analyn learned to make spring rolls that she sold to the community to augment her husband’s income.
Organizers tried to hook up Angie with her husband back home during the live program, but he could not leave his job in time to watch her.
A beneficiary of ICM’s Adopt a Patient program was flown all the way from his remote village in Bohol to Hong Kong for a clubfoot surgery.
Felix, who arrived in the hall on a wheelchair with his two legs in plaster cast following surgery, dreams of being able to walk someday.
Sharing the spotlight that evening was the ICM Children’s Choir, made up of 12 kids from poor communities in Bacolod City who were gathered in October 2009 and taught to sing by composer and songwriter Louise Joachimowski.
The kids have performed in the annual ICM banquet in 2010 and 2011, then traveled and performed in several cities in the US to raise awareness and support for ICM.
The choir now includes new children, one of whom postponed a visit to the dentist just so she could experience her first Hong Kong Banquet.
As in previous years, the event was highlighted by a spirited auctioning by
US national champion auctioneer Kristine Fladeboe Duininck, who raised $10.1 million from 123 donors in less than half an hour.
Sixteen donors gave to support surgeries for 16 children at Matilda Hospital. Their donations will also pay for surgeries for another 32 patients in the Philippines, and medical care for a further 480 poor Filipinos.
ICM put up 333 Panda stuffed toys for sale at $1,000 each and all were snapped up, raising $333,000 to pay for 1,000,000 meals for hungry children.
