On September 12, several of our members and friends, including: President Sam, Past President Lily and Ken, Past President Samuel and Amy, President Elect Eliza and Tiffany, Coco, Yvonne and Kelly, went to Suicide Prevention Services Headquarters in Choi Hung Estate to take part in an elderly outreach service program for Mid-Autumn Festival. Past President Lily gave a tour around the headquarters which housed the well-regarded SPS call center. Heading out in four teams, the teams visited elderly cases in the East Kowloon area and gave them care packages which contained mooncakes, biscuits, masks and other daily items. After the teams returned, a debriefing with each team and a social worker concluded the day. It was a great Mid-Autumn festival service outing that benefited the elderly in the district.
On August 21, President Sam, Past President Grace and friend, Past President Lily (and her two nephews), Past President Angela and Maurice, Immediate Past President Mark, President Elect Eliza, Sandy and Trevor (Past President Ka Hing’s friends), and Tony (prospective member) went to Holy Cafe to pack hot meals for the elderly. With several youngsters helping out, the elderly beneficiaries also felt more lively.
On January 16, President Mark, Past President Webster and Rotarian Jason joined Crystal Lee and Rotaractor Charis to deliver 70 handwritten letters and supermarket coupons to elderly at Hing Tin Wendell Memorial Church Alison Lam Elderly Centre. The project was conceived by our Rotaractors at Lap Chee College, who wanted to connect with neglected groups in our community while with pandemic precautions and social distancing in mind. They originally thought about hosting virtual parties for the elderly, but due to technical difficulties and the limited scope of interaction, they turned to a more personal form of communication – letter writing. 70 letters were hand-written – a feat all the more impressive since many Rotaractors are foreign students who don’t speak or write in Chinese. They had to rely on other Rotaractors who acted as translators and ghostwriters to get the job done. Most of these letters included well-wishes, while some others included long proses, including appealing to the elderly to keep warm during the winter and reassuring the elderly to stay upbeat and positive during this pandemic. Each letter was accompanied by 200 HKD-worth of supermarket coupons, generously donated by Charter President Patrick. The Centre’s representative thanked the Rotaract representative…