Follow Hong Kong Investment Immigration and Hong Kong Life: On the morning of January 5th, the first Sunday of the New Year, Hong Kong citizens, accompanied by friends and family, arrived at the Hong Kong Stadium to participate in a public welfare event raising funds for social welfare organizations.
On that day, The Community Chest of Hong Kong launched its first major fundraising event of 2014—the "Hong Kong and Kowloon Walk for Millions." All proceeds will be used to fund social welfare agencies to support those in need, including the elderly, children, the disabled, and rehabilitated psychiatric patients.
Hong Kong citizens responded in droves. By 8:30 AM, the starting point of the charity walk—the Hong Kong Stadium—was already bustling with people. The 170 walking teams formed by the participants set out to walk approximately 10 kilometers to the finish line at Aberdeen Country Park.
Among the endless stream of people were the elderly, young people who would otherwise be enjoying their weekend, ordinary citizens, senior government officials, and business elites. The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, Leung Chun-ying, and his wife also appeared at the event in sportswear.
Among the many participants was Ms. Shan, a resident of Sai Wan. With her simple attire and graying hair, she is an ordinary member of Hong Kong society. Having previously stayed home to care for her family when her children were young, she had never been to the Hong Kong Stadium before. Worried about being late, she left her home at 7:00 AM, took a bus for over an hour, and after asking for directions several times, finally arrived at the Hong Kong Stadium at 9:00 AM, just before the teams set off.
It would take Ms. Shan and the other participants another three to four hours to reach the finish line of the charity walk. Returning home from the finish line would take her another hour or so. From 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM, Ms. Shan spent half of her Sunday on this public welfare activity. She said that participating in charity events is mainly about expressing her support; if one has greater ability (higher income), one donates and does more, and if one has lesser ability (lower income), one donates and does less.
As Ms. Shan and other participants walked by, Yeung Chiu, Chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, who has participated in such activities many times, told China News Service reporters that the large number of people participating in public welfare activities serves as a reminder to those who want to disrupt Hong Kong: there are many people who cherish Hong Kong. Hong Kong is not just a good place to make money and work; it is also a place with human warmth, and a deep-seated spirit of mutual aid exists among the people. Hong Kong society is diverse, with different religions, beliefs, and political views, but "Home is Hong Kong," and it must be cherished.
The Community Chest of Hong Kong, which launched the "Walk for Millions" fundraising event, was founded in 1968 and is a non-profit, non-government-funded charitable organization. In the 2013/2014 fiscal year, it will allocate over HK$31.65 million to fund 23 social welfare organizations.