'We've come a long way!" declared Maria Rybicki, the incumbent president of the Taipei International Women's Club, as the members gathered yesterday to celebrate a 50-year milestone. But she added: "We have a long way to go. There is still so much we can contribute to society."

Rybicki on this occasion had a rather informative Web site to launch and show with pride to a group of about 300, who turned up at the ballroom on the 12th floor of the Grand Hotel in Taipei. Michal Filipiak, Rybicki's nephew in Poland, designed it.

The general public is invited to access Web site http://www.tiwc.org and find out what the active club members have been organizing and doing in the past 50 years to make life fun and meaningful not only for themselves but also for others.

The TIWC's history and activities are summarized complete with photographs. The Companion Magazine's evolution from a small-size format to something twice its original measurement also briefly comes under review.

Cecilia Koo, herself an active leader of women's groups, congratulated the TIWC for accomplishments over the years. In her greeting, she offered the TIWC a permanent space to keep the files, records and documents accumulated in the last 50 years. This means that the TIWC will at long last have a home.

At one point in the history of the club, the board rented a room. But each change of the board thereafter saw the transfer of the boxes to a new address, usually the home of an officer.

Livia Yu, the TIWC president back in 1982, said yesterday that Edna Lee, one of the founding members, told her recently that Mrs. Narciso Ramos, the wife of the former Philippine ambassador to the Republic of China, first expressed the need to establish a club for English-speaking ladies in Taipei 51 years ago. As a result, the TIWC was founded on Sept. 28, 1951, with only 20 members. Madam Chiang Kai-shek became the honorary president.

Although Lee, now living in Hawaii, failed to make it to yesterday's celebration, Cynthia Lee, her sister and another charter member, was around. The presence of past TIWC presidents got acknowledged yesterday. Livia Yu (1982), Mary Hsieh (1988), Bella Ho (1990), Carol Wu (1994), Shaw Lin (1996-1997), Susan Milla (1998), Liu Bi-yu (1999) and Gulcin Surenkok (2000) made it to the 50th anniversary celebration.

Yu spoke of the commitment of the club members to volunteer work. She emphasized: "The TIWC has been a social service-oriented club." But she added: "It is also into many cultural and art activities."

Rybicki embarked on her year of presidency a few months ago by announcing TIWC's motto: "Pooling Together to Pull Others Through." She remarked yesterday: "Those words could have been the motto of the TIWC at any time during the past 50 years for they so very neatly sum up the club's purpose."

She reminded the members about "the individual pledge to work for the betterment of the condition of the people who are less fortunate, such as the orphaned or abandoned children, the abused women and those in need of the basics of life, including food and medical care."

Rybicki, who personally oversaw the planning and organization of yesterday's program, remembered to acknowledge the substantial contribution of the Lin-kun Ti Foundation to the TIWC. The foundation's cash donations over the years to enable the TIWC to carry out social service have added up to a neat sum —15 million pesos.

The TIWC has donated wheelchairs to those in need. Scholarships have also been offered to needy students. Bandage-rolling work in the hospital has kept a number of volunteers regularly occupied. There is no shortage of meaningful volunteer programs to keep the members busy.

The club members also meet to learn to do Chinese painting. Even Chinese cooking lessons are organized. Flamenco dancing has been the interest of some members. Ike-bana has been the hobby of a few. Others have taken to picking up language skills through the teas held regularly by the Chinese, the Dutch, the English, the French, the German, the Japanese, the Spanish and the Indian groups.

The cultural diversity of the TIWC members can partly be seen in their national costumes. Surtiati "Yatie" Wu organized yesterday the parade of the members in beautiful national costumes of the countries represented in the Taipei International Women's Club. The participants did not necessarily wear their own national dresses.

The models and the countries of origin of the traditional dresses they put on included: Amy Wu and Chang Ying-tze - China; Isma Boyle and Dina Maulida - Indonesia; Sashi Gupta - India; Cathy Chen - Thailand; Myrna Espinosa - Philippines; Onoma Takako - Japan; Irmina Novacka - Poland; Hannah Lu and Amy Chang - Honduras; Gladys Paredes - Panama; Yatie Wu - Korea; Iciar Yturriaga de Garcia Tapia -Spain; and Alla Verchenko - Russia.

Meanwhile the Jin Hua Primary School Choir filled the air with their beautiful voices. First lady Wu Shu-chen at the last minute sent word to say that she could not make it as guest of honor.