Nanjing YMCA celebrated its centennial ceremony in Nanjing Culture and Art Center on Oct. 20th 2012. Mr. Qiu Songyu, president and Mr. Mayada Secretary-general of Asia and Pacific Alliance YMCAs; Mr. Xu Xiaohong, president of The National Committee of China YMCA; and Mr. Tu Hanqiao, secretary-general and more than 200 leaders from both domestic and abroad made a special trip to Nanjing to present this ceremony. Mr. Xiang Xuelong, a member of Standing Committee of Municipal Committee and department director of Municipal United Front Work Department; Mr. Huang Huang, vice director of Municipal Peoples Congress; Mr. Chen Gang, deputy mayor of Nanjing Municipal Government; Qiang Jihong, vice chairman of Municipal People’s Political Consultative Conference; Mr. Gu Chuangyong, deputy director general of Provincial Religion Bureau and related leaders were invited to present for congratulations. At the commemoration ceremony gathering, 300 members and volunteers from Nanjing YMCA demonstrated the development of themselves by short videos, art performances which caused bursts of applause.
Young Men’s Christian Association is a leading proponent, starter, and organizer of volunteer movements, and has developed into a social service organization with a unique and positive effect in current society that extends to over 140 countries and regions. In 1912, Mr. Sun Yat-sen was the first to contribute 3000 silver dollars to subsidize the establishment of the Nanjing YMCA. In recent years, the Nanjing YMCA had held fast to its group objective and mission of “serving society, and benefitting the people.” With respect to serving society, we have integrated domestic and international social resources, given attention to disadvantages social groups, organized volunteer training, served elderly people, handicapped people and impoverished teenagers, and launched cultural exchange activities with the YMCAs in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. In the last five years, 52621 service visits have been made to disadvantages groups. In just the last two years we have raised overseas donations amounting to more than 11,170,000 RMB, which was used subsidize orphan schools, subsidize the “oral activity”, which provided dentures for elderly people on welfare, and launch foster services for disabled people, etc. At the same time, they also donated to domestic and international YMCAs in areas that suffered natural disasters, supported local disaster relief activities, thus demonstrating the spirit of the International Socialist’s “charity” without borders, and reflecting their own value in promoting social harmony. 
