Support group for welfare, charity and disability organizations launched; Lai Jui-lung pledges all election subsidy to scholarships

Lai Jui-lung launched three campaign support groups in Kaohsiung on the same day and promised to donate every subsidy he receives from the mayoral election to scholarships for disadvantaged people and children.

The Democratic Progressive Party candidate made the pledge at the certification ceremony for a support group representing social welfare, charity and disability organizations. The event took place at 10:30 a.m. at the Xiang Wen Xin Jian Guo branch. Zhang Mei-huang heads the social welfare and charity support group, while You Jin-yuan leads the disability organizations' group. Zhang Lai-chuan heads the charity organizations' group, with vice chairman Jiang Qing-long attending as his representative.

Lai said he had donated all his election subsidies after each previous election and would do the same after the mayoral contest. He said he wanted to work with charity, welfare and disability organizations to help more families in need and make Kaohsiung a happier and warmer city. Quoting American writer Henry David Thoreau, he said, "Kindness is the only investment that never fails." Lai added that helping people in need with kindness and compassion was the most meaningful and valuable thing a person could do, regardless of their job or achievements.

Lai also outlined welfare proposals. If he takes on the mayoral role, he said he would expand food-bank services, increase physical distribution sites and strengthen cooperation between city agencies and private charity and welfare groups. He said the changes would help resources reach disadvantaged families more quickly.

For people with disabilities, Lai proposed strengthening services at barrier-free homes and expanding community-based daytime care and work facilities. He said these measures would reduce the long-term burden on people with disabilities and their caregivers. He also repeated his proposal to raise the annual points for senior and disability cards to 15,000 and expand their use to transportation, medical care and sports.

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Kindness is the only investment that never fails.