'Time 100' recipient gets honorary doctorate from Taitung university

Taipei, June 8 (CNA) Grassroots philanthropist Chen Shu-chu (陳樹菊) was presented with an honorary doctorate degree by National Taitung University (NTTU) on Saturday for her humanitarian contributions.

Chen, a vegetable vendor at Central Market in Taitung City for over half a century before she retired in 2018, gained fame in Taiwan when she was named as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of 2010 for her philanthropy.

She started her career after elementary school to help raise her younger siblings after her mother died from childbirth, and she later became affectionately known as Grandma Shu-chu because of her generous and substantial donations.

For her contributions to society, Chen received her degree on Saturday with NTTU alumni at a graduation ceremony held at the university's Chihpen Campus.

An honor well-deserved

The philanthropist was introduced by Taitung County Deputy Magistrate Wang Chih-hui (王志輝), who cited her as an example of human love transcending technological advancement.

He said tech advancements, such as artificial intelligence, pale in comparison to the true intelligence displayed by Chen through her philanthropy, even if she is only an elementary school graduate.

In accepting the honor, Chen admitted she almost passed out when notified of her honorary doctorate, saying that she felt a little uneasy about the honorary degree given that she was always at the bottom of her class during her school years.

Aside from thanking NTTU faculty and students for the recognition, she also thanked her parents and her grandmother for instilling in her the proper morals and values and mental fortitude.

Chen encouraged students who attended the graduation ceremony to be confident and bravely take on life's obstacles, saying that every person will experience difficult times, and whether to follow a dark or bright path is a decision each person has to make and for which they are responsible.

Selfless donations

Chen's years of philanthropy have garnered her worldwide recognition from various entities throughout the years.

While she worked as a humble vegetable vendor, she remained extremely generous when donating to in-need individuals and charitable foundations, and her philanthropy has extended from education to health care and social wellness.

Following her late father's wishes after his passing, she donated NT$1 million (US$33,373) to the then Fo Guang Buddhist Academy in 1993.

She then followed her initial donation in 1997 and gave away another NT$1 million, this time to her alma mater Jen-Ai Elementary School, before making a subsequent NT$$4.5 million donation in 2005 to the school for a library.

Chen then went on to donate life insurance policies in 2018 worth NT$16 million to the Taitung Christian Hospital and Mackay Memorial Hospital Taitung Branch.

The policies were used to create the "Ms. Chen Shu-chu Medical Fund for Underprivileged and Cancer Patients," which will get the funds allocated posthumously to provide medical care for underprivileged individuals.

More life insurance policies worth NT$15 million were also donated by Chen in 2021 to the Taitung County Government to create a "Child Birth and Emergency Relief Fund" to ensure the safe birth of future generations.

Currently, Chen also supports three abandoned children through the Christian Kids Alive International Association by pledging an annual NT$36,000 donation to the organization.

World-renowned philanthropy

For her efforts and donations, Chen was listed eighth in the "Time 100" in 2010.

The same year, Chen was recognized as one of 48 heroes of philanthropy chosen by Forbes, while Reader's Digest named her as the winner of 2010 Asian of the Year.

Chen was also selected as the Philippines' annual Ramon Magsaysay Award winner in 2012, an accolade which came with a US$50,000 prize that the philanthropist gave to Mackay Memorial Hospital's Taitung Branch.

The most permanent of her honors, however, was arguably in 2018 when Lulin Observatory in Nantou County received approval from the International Astronomical Union to name asteroid 278986, which the observatory discovered in 2008, as "Chenshuchu" after the Taitung philanthropist.