Celebrating the season of giving in Hong Kong

Youth
Community involvement

Using volunteerism to drive positive change in communities throughout the city.

Share

RBC Wealth Management employees in Hong Kong celebrated the season of giving by engaging in three activities in the month of December – a visit to Ronald McDonald House Charities Hong Kong, participation in Heep Hong Charity Football Fun Day and giving Christmas gifts to children from The Society for the Relief of Disabled Children.

Delivering cheer to sick children

Asia’s first Ronald McDonald House (RMHC) – an independent entity and a locally registered charity in Hong Kong – provides temporary residence for families with seriously ill children receiving medical treatment at a hospital. The House is often referred to as “a home away from home,” as many of these families would have had to endure long travel times from their home to the hospital in order for their children to receive treatment.

Colleagues from RBC Wealth Management in Asia honoured International Volunteer Day , which falls on December 5, with a visit to the House to deliver gifts and learn more about how RMHC supports and improves the health and wellbeing of children and their families.

RMHC provides a space where parents staying at the House can focus on caring for their sick children. RMHC also hosts regular volunteer-run playgroups, art classes, yoga classes, festival celebrations and birthday parties for the children undergoing treatment.

Kicking off Heep Hong Society’s first football fun day

RBC Wealth Management in Asia was one of the sponsors for the Heep Hong Society’s first-ever sports event, Heep Hong Charity Football Fun Day, held at the South China Athletic Association.

The Heep Hong Society is an education and rehabilitation organization offering professional assessment, guidance, training and family support services to families with children who have special educational needs (SEN). The society supports more than 15,000 families every year at its service units, as well as at mainstream kindergartens and primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong.

More than 600 participants attended the inaugural event and over one million Hong Kong dollars was raised, with all net proceeds going to support the Heep Hong Society’s Children and Youth Training Fund, which provides timely assessment and appropriate training for children who have SEN and for young people from low-income families.

The fund seeks to support and enable children (and their families) with SEN to participate in social adaptation activities; enable children with autism waiting for government services to undergo three months of speech therapy to improve their social and communication skills; and help underprivileged children with developmental delays receive 10 sessions of professional training.

“RBC Wealth Management is committed to supporting initiatives and organizations that have a positive impact on society. We are proud to be part of ongoing efforts to make a difference in our communities,” says Karen Ku, director of Strategic Partnerships and Corporate Citizenship at RBC Wealth Management in Asia.

“We look forward to our continuing collaboration [with RBC] in years to come,” adds Rachel Leung, chief executive officer of Heep Hong Society.

Working together to support our communities

To celebrate the season of giving, colleagues at RBC Wealth Management in Asia also bought and delivered Christmas gifts to children from The Society for the Relief of Disabled Children (SRDC) who were receiving treatment at the Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital.

Established in 1953, SRDC supports medical, surgical, rehabilitation and educational services for children in Hong Kong who are differently-abled, including orthopedic cases as well as those who need pediatric care. In 1955, the Society built a convalescent home in Sandy Bay for children with skeletal tuberculosis, through funds generously donated by the community. The home was subsequently expanded to become the Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital in 1968, where practitioners performed surgery on patients with tuberculosis, poliomyelitis and spinal deformities.

Ku adds, “I’m grateful to work with fellow colleagues to contribute and give back to the community – and proud to be part of an organization that volunteers its time and effort aimed at creating a positive impact.”

Related articles

RBC’s first in-person Race for the Kids in Singapore raises thousands for children’s charity

Event 3 minute read
- RBC’s first in-person Race for the Kids in Singapore raises thousands for children’s charity

Race for the Kids raises funds for disadvantaged youth and families in Hong Kong

Event 2 minute read
- Race for the Kids raises funds for disadvantaged youth and families in Hong Kong

Supporting women empowerment in Singapore and Hong Kong

Diversity and inclusion 3 minute read
- Supporting women empowerment in Singapore and Hong Kong