（2023年1月號561期動腦雜誌）
11月11日上午我出席台北市政府舉辦「台北市傑出市民表揚活動」，因為我是五位獲獎人之一。這是台北市傑出市民表揚活動的第31年，希望藉由公開表揚的方式，達到教化人心、鼓勵市民積極參與市政、推展社會公益的目的。可惜媒體報導不多，也沒有多少人知道。
我在發表感言時，指出以傑出市民選拔的標準（對本市市政興革提出具體建議或改進措施，經本府採納辦理，有重大具體績效者;積極參與推展社會公益活動，促進社會和諧，具有重大貢獻者等），應該很多人有資格獲選，希望明年有更多人獲獎。
獲獎，是因為有奉獻。我擔任財團法人台北市賽珍珠基金會董事長六屆共十九年，從義務律師開始參與基金會至少三十年，捐款五百萬元以上，已經把基金會帶到地方及中央政府重視的地步。也喚起更多人重視新住民的生活及福利。市府表揚我是一位新住民的守護者。
其實，只是儘我能力所及，提供一點點奉獻而已。
奉獻，好像蠻具宗教性的嚴肅用語，如果換個說法，也許更通俗，更易被接納。那就是起善心，去做善事。什麼是善事？我的看法是誠心誠意幫助他人，不求回報，就是善事。幫助的方式，不一定是金錢，也可能是提供時間或是勞力服務。我國有志願服務法，就是鼓勵國人當志工，以提高公共事務效能及增進社會公益。
在我多次隨同社工去做家訪的時候，對於這些經濟極為弱勢的新移民非常的同情與感慨，她們多是離婚，獨自照顧子女，又要以低薪的收入撐起一家的經濟責任。我常常會拿幾百或千元給她們。有的還不肯收，很有志氣。
比較遺憾的事，我只能奉獻幾十萬元，幫助有限。真希望有錢，提供上百萬元或更多，去幫助他們的子女去認真讀書，而非急著去打工幫助家計。事實上，教育是脫貧之道，沒有好的教育，前（錢）是不樂觀的。
作者為律師
The Power of Dedication-Start from Good Deeds
by／YU YING-FU
On the morning of November 11th, I attended“The Distinguished Citizen of Taipei City Awarding Ceremony” held by the Taipei City Government because I was one of the five award winners. This is the 31st year of the “The Distinguished Citizen of Taipei City Awarding Ceremony.” By giving awards publicly, the city government wish to achieve the goal of inspiring and educating people, encouraging citizens to participate in municipal matters, and promoting social welfare. It was a pity that this event did not receive a lot of media coverage and not many people knew about it.
When I was delivering my acceptance speech, I pointed out that according to the standards of selecting the Distinguished Citizens, there should be a lot of recipients and more people should receive the awards next year. (The standards of selecting the Distinguished Citizens are 1. Providing concrete suggestions or improvement measures to municipal matters adopted by the city government and proving to have great effects, 2. promoting social welfare and social harmony proactively with great accomplishment, etc.)
I won the award because of my dedication. I have been the chairman of the Pearl S. Buck Foundation, Taipei, Taiwan for six terms (19 years). My involvement with the foundation as a voluntary lawyer has been at least 30 years. I donated more than 5 million NT dollars and brought the foundation under the spotlight of both local and central governments. I also reckoned more people’s attention on the life and welfare of our Taiwanese New Immigrants. The city government praised me as the protector of the new immigrants.
Actually, I have just done what I can do and provided a little dedication.
Dedication seems like a serious word with religious meaning. If we use a more common and acceptable way to address it, that is having a good heart to do good deeds. What are good deeds? In my opinion it is to help others with sincerity and not asking anything in return. The way to help others is not necessarily providing money. It might be providing time or labor service. In Taiwan we have Voluntary Service Law to encourage Taiwanese people to be voluntary workers to optimize the efficiency of public service and promote social welfare.
As I conducted home visits with social workers to the new immigrants’ families, I felt very sympathized and emotional upon meeting these economically disadvantaged people. They are mostly divorced single parents who take care of their kids alone and supply the family with fairly low incomes. I often offered a few hundred or thousand NT dollars to them. Some refused to take it. They still had their pride even under the circumstances.
It is a pity that I was only able to provide a bit more than a few ten thousand NT dollars. The help is limited. I wish I had the money to provide millions or more to help their children to study hard rather than work parttime to earn a living. In fact, the true way out of poverty is education. Without good education, there will be no optimistic(well-off) future.
The author is an Attorney
奉獻力1 奉獻力 讓台灣更有力 吳進生
奉獻力2 奉獻力，從愛開始 謝冠雄
奉獻力3 奉獻力 新國力 賴清德 專講稿
奉獻力4 影響力，奉獻力 丁菱娟
奉獻力5 提升台灣社會的整體奉獻力 盧世祥
奉獻力6 發揚台灣的「奉獻力」 林逸民
奉獻力7 歡喜的奉獻力 紀政
奉獻力8 奉獻力，就是傳遞、傳承的善循環 顏玉芬
奉獻力9 奉獻力——從善行出發 尤英夫
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