On October 28th, 2003, the grand ceremony of issuing the 11th Soong Ching Ling Camphor Tree Honorary Award was held in Vancouver Canada. Mr. Lu Ping, vice Chairman of China Welfare Institute, made a special trip to Vancouver for presenting the award to professor Paul Lin, the honorary chairman of Soong Ching Ling Foundation Canada. About 50 Canadian guests attend the ceremony. Here are the speeches by Mr. Lu Ping and Mr. Paul Lin in the ceremony.

-------------SPEECH BY MR. LU PING IN THE CEREMONEY-----------
Doctor Lin:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Good evening!
Tonight I am much honored to be able to join you in this happy occasion. I come here with a special mission, that is: to present the eleventh Soong Ching Ling Camphor Tree Honorary Award to Dr. Paul Lin on behalf of the China Welfare Institute and the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation.

In China, we call the camphor tree the "fragrant tree", which was the favorite tree of the late Soong Ching Ling, the Honorary President of the People's Republic of China. It is a beautiful tree, solid and mothproof, widely used in China for making furniture. It is a reflection of Soong Ching Ling's great image. The founding of the Camphor Tree Award is to commemorate our beloved Soong Ching Ling and to carry on her cause in caring for the welfare of women and children.

The Honorary Award is dedicated to those who have made important and significant contributions to the cause of women and children in the fields of public health, education, physical education, scientific research, etc, regardless of nationality, belief, political affiliation, profession and sex.

Dr. Lin has a high respect for Soong Ching Ling and has been a long time supporter of the work and developments of China Welfare Institute founded by Soong Ching Ling. He has visited the China Welfare Institute several times to promote cooperation between the Soong Ching Ling Children's Foundation of Canada and the China Welfare Institute. In 1996, thanks to his initiative, the Soong Ching Ling Children's Foundation of Canada together with the China Welfare Institute founded the China-Canada Children's Development Research Center in Shanghai. Through his efforts, the Soong Ching Ling Children's Foundation of Canada has contributed three hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars worth of computers to the Research Center.

To support the preschool education of the China Welfare Institute, Dr. Lin helped to introduce to us Professor Dickson of the Department of Preschool Education of UBC, thus paving the road for our preschool teachers to take lessons at UBC. As a result, their views are broadened and professional skills elevated. By introducing the advanced educational theory and methods of Montessori and ECE of North America, we have opened up a new horizon in international interflow and cooperation in the field of preschool education. With Dr. Lin's help, our Soong Ching Ling Kindergarten has enrolled a number of foreign teachers and has set up an international department. Now, the Soong Ching Ling Kindergarten has become a multi-cultural kindergarten for international Interflow.

In the past twenty years, Dr. Lin has spared no efforts in supporting and helping us. In 2001, Dr. Lin and his wife Eileen donated a sum of 190 thousand Canadian dollars to establish a permanent charity fund for helping students in the poorer regions of China. Dr. Lin himself has contributed a personal award for a period of ten years to the outstanding teachers and students of Nanqi Middle School situated in the hilly area of Jinzai county of Anhui Province. Each of them is granted 6,000 RMB on an annual basis.
I have known Paul since 1950's. Through our long friendship, I am deeply impressed by his integrity, selflessness and his love for China. Paul is not only closely related to Soong Ching Ling in blood, but also fully dedicated to her cause. Therefore, he is well deserved to receive this honor. Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me, on behalf of all my colleagues of the China Welfare Institute and the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation, to extend to Dr. Lin our heartfelt congratulations.

Thank you!

-------------SPEECH BY PROFESSOR PAUL LIN IN THE CEREMONEY-----------

Distinguished Vice Chairman Lu Ping:
Thank you for best owing upon me this outstanding award "The Soong Ching Ling Camphor Tree Honorary Award". And we are also honored because you have made a special trip from Beijing to Vancouver just for this purpose.

Soong Ching Ling was one of the greatest woman leaders of the 20th century. Through out her life, she defended and carried on Dr. Sun Yat-sen's ideals of building a China free of foreign oppression, where people are masters of their own destiny, enjoying fruits of their won labor. One human key to these ideals was to uplift the status of women, and nurture the health and education of the children.

This Award does not belong to me alone, but to you all and the countless others who share her vision, love and compassion and try to carry out her legacy to better the life of humanity.

Thank you again, Mr. Lu Ping, my good friend.
Paul T.K. Lin