Rotary celebrates 100th anniversary

JAKARTA: The Rotary Club of Jakarta will hold a charity dinner for Acehnese children on Tuesday to commemorate the centennial of the organization, first established in Chicago, USA.

"We aim to raise US$100,000 for Aceh," said Richard Howard, a member of the organizing committee.

Richard added that all of the money raised, including proceeds from entrance tickets, will be used to support education and provide books for children affected by the tsunami.

The gala evening will feature Chinese dragon and lion dances, as it coincides with the eve of Cap Go Meh, the 15th day after the Chinese New Year.

A number of state dignitaries will be attending the event, including Minister of Trade Mari Pangestu, State Minister of State Enterprises Sugiharto and Minister of Transportation Hatta Rajasa. The ambassadors of Canada, the Netherlands and Singapore are also expected to join the commemoration.

The charity event, held at Kelapa Gading's Balai Samudra in North Jakarta, is open to the public. Individual tickets are Rp 500,000 each, while for a table for 10 there is a discounted rate of Rp 300,000 per person.

The Rotary Club is the world's oldest service organization in the world with over 1.2 million members, who are professionals and business leaders. There are 87 clubs in Indonesia with over 1,850 members. -- JP