The Women's Forum of Southern United States, created by leading Taiwanese women in Houston, celebrates International Women’s Day by holding an annual goodwill event. This year the Women’s Forum collaborated with the Houston Health Foundation and organized a goodwill luncheon to support its See to Succeed program. Good vision is critical for students to succeed academically and in other parts of their lives, and the program provides eye exams and eyeglasses to children in the Greater Houston area who don’t have access to vision services.

The Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Houston took part in the event and set up a table to promote Taiwan’s education, culture, and study abroad opportunities. Mario Figueroa Jr—better known locally as the artist Gonzo247—also participated and generously gave TECO the beautiful mural artwork featuring Taiwan imagery that’s partly visible in the group photo.

Peter Chen, Director-General of TECO in Houston, spoke at the luncheon and commended the Women’s Forum for bringing together community and business leaders, educators and public officials to support this important cause. The goodwill luncheon raised $16,000 for the See to Succeed program.

He also commented on the coronavirus pandemic that is taking a rapidly increasing toll on the health and well-being of people around the world. Taiwan has won widespread recognition for its impressive performance in dealing with the crisis, and Taiwan would be a great contributor to the international health community. He called for the World Health Organization to include Taiwan in its epidemic prevention network to help WHO achieve Health for All, a vision that it holds dear.