Chairperson of TSMC Charity Foundation Sophie Chang visited St. Raphael Opportunity Center, a day care center for physically or mentally disabled people and children with developmental delays, on July, 30. Sophie was excited about the event for it marks another step towards her realization of a sustainable charity model.
“I see the needs of people, and my heart goes out to them to meet those needs.
TSMC Charity Foundation formed a collaboration with teams from Tainan City Government and National Cheng Kung University to convert the 45-year-old St. Raphael Opportunity Center into a green building: first, they replaced all the traditional bulbs with LED bulbs, applied thermal insulation coating to the roof, and finally installed solar panels on the roof. The renovation was expected to generate 2.7 million kWh of green electricity, enabling the Center to sell as wholesale after self-consumption, thereby creating a long-term and stable income stream for the Center.
Caption: St. Raphael Opportunity Center held the opening ceremony for “Green Philanthropy.” Chairperson Sophie Chang went on a guided tour in the renovated Center, acquiring new knowledge of solar energy.
TSMC Charity Foundation's renewable energy proposal was formulated in the hopes to provide a stable source of income for the Center that had been struggling with raising funds. Director of St. Raphael Center Hsueh-Ying Lee was excited about the project. She kept expressing her thanks to Sophie, while Sophie was delighted that her care plan for the Center was finally realized.
“The director just told me that the solar panels can not only save 400 kWh of electricity, but also become a source of income,” Sophie Chang said with a warm smile. Her initial goal for the project was to lower the Center's electric bills and protect the children's eyes, yet the rewards and benefits far exceeded her expectations.
“I never forgot why I started charity work in the first place, and that is to see people's needs and meet them. We not only met them this time, we brought in green energy along the way. I never expected to be rewarded for my charity work, but I am truly delighted to see my ideals realized,” Sophie said.
Caption: This project of installing solar panels for a social welfare facility to reduce electric costs, so that children and elders may receive further benefits, marks the first launching of “Green Philanthropy,” a charity model created by Sophie and her team.
“I consider hardship as a source of strength and learning for me.”
Nevertheless, to reach the ultimate goal, people need courage and tenacity to overcome obstacles aside from wisdom. For this project, TSMC and the teams encountered a few stumbling blocks along the way. For instance, social welfare facility buildings are usually on lease, so they do not fit the requirements of private property ownership. The teams encountered issues, such as electricity generation and maintenance, at every stage of the process. Even the Center's director expressed her concerns and worries upon hearing TSMC's proposal, saying “it won't be an easy matter.”
For Sophie Chang, her experience in charity work has never been a walk in the park, since she always tries to take on those issues that are the most daunting and complex. “Who is going to solve these issues if I don't? What happens to those people if the issues don't get solved?” she said.
What should we do when there is an obstacle lying ahead? With Buddhist teachings in her heart, Sophie always regards obstacles with a change of perspective, “they may seem like Gordian knots, but I have a great team, and we will cut the knots from various angles.” The industry-academia-government collaboration for this project, where each team played to their strength and overcame hurdles in solidarity, gave birth to a new model for “Green Philanthropy.”
“We may be able to duplicate this success and apply the experiences to other cities. There will be alternate forms of execution, for instance hiring disadvantaged students of Kun Shan University to install LED bulbs, which saves energy and helps the students,” Sophie said with enthusiasm as she talked about her planning for the next proposal. 」
Sophie earnestly invites other enterprises to join in her Green Philanthropy campaign. After this outbreak of COVID-19 in Taiwan, Sophie Chang had several revelations. “During the outbreak, you realize that the entire world is connected, so aside from protecting one self, we need to protect the Earth. As every nickel makes a muckle, we can actually become a great force.”