Angela Lopez, (our local RI secret weapon for membership ideas!) suggested that Dale Gray meet with one of the Regional Grant Officers (RGO) for Zone 9, which covers Taiwan, China, Mongolia, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. The RGO was visiting family in Scottsdale and generously made time to meet for coffee on Wednesday, November 26.
Shyanmei Wang (pronounced "Shyn-May") holds an important position at The Rotary Foundation (TRF), where she coaches applicants through the grant process, provides feedback, and reviews and approves Global Grants—primarily in Taiw
an. After earning her degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, she has spent the past eight years as an RGO at Rotary's main office in Evanston, Illinois. Her work has significantly increased the number of approved grants in Taiwan, largely by providing grant resources in Mandarin, her native language.
During our meeting, we explored opportunities to build strong relationships between Districts in Taiwan and Arizona. We also discussed showcasing some of our existing grant proposals to potentially secure Club and DDF support from Taiwan Districts. The growing Taiwanese population in the Phoenix metro area—driven by TSMC's semiconductor expansion—creates natural synergy for local projects that could help TSMC engage more deeply with the community.
Of course, we also talked about next year's Rotary International Convention in Taiwan and the opportunity for D5495 to meet local Taiwanese Governors and Grant teams. With Shyanmei's offer to provide introductions and coordinate meetings, we hope to bring a delegation from Arizona to Taiwan, similar to our trip to Calgary last year.
Like Cecelia Waters, the Regional Grants Officer we work closely with for D5495 grants, Shyanmei Wang is an invaluable resource dedicated to helping Rotarians with service projects worldwide. We're fortunate to have such passionate and committed people supporting The Rotary Foundation.