Aceh aid part of Rotary centenary

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Rotary Club members throughout Jakarta celebrated the club's international centennial with a charity event for tsunami-torn Aceh in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Two barongsai (lion dance) performers danced from table to table at Balai Samudra hall in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, collecting donations in red envelopes during the gala dinner, which coincided with Cap Go Meh, the end of the 15-day Chinese New Year festivities.

The donations, as well as all proceeds from the Rp 500,000 entrance tickets, will be used to purchase books for children affected by the tsunamis.

"Even without a tsunami, we would gladly help," said Pradhana Hardjosubroto, a 10-year member, who was one of over 400 guests who attended the dinner along with the Australian and Malaysian ambassadors.

The night also saw the launching of a book by 82-year-old Abidin Kartasoebrata; a memoir detailing his 50 years as a member.

Abidin noted the club's efforts in spearheading the eradication of polio, fully subsidizing the costs of vaccinating Indonesian children from 1987 to 1992.

Peter Duncan, the president of Rotary Club Jakarta, which hosted the event, said he was "pleased with the spirit of the evening."

The first Rotary Club was founded in Chicago in 1905. The Jakarta branch is one of 92 club houses located throughout Indonesia. The world's oldest service organization has more than 1.2 million members, with about 1,900 in Indonesia. (002)