volunteer team organized over 100 activities in Hong Kong and mainland China last year, totaling over 12,000 service hours. To mark the team’s contribution, a recognition ceremony was held last night (February 21) and officiated by the Company’s Executive Director Mr. Norman Chan, who presented certificates of appreciation to outstanding volunteers.
As the Executive overseeing the Company’s Leasing & Management Department, Norman Chan has an exceptional understanding of numbers, especially those that relate to rents and sales. His expertise in mathematics proved instrumental last year when he served as a tutor for the Hang Lung Fun Math Tutorial Classes. The free classes were designed for underprivileged students to tackle math problems under the guidance of volunteer tutors like Chan. “In addition to serving as a math tutor, I also took part in other volunteer activities such as the Bike Tour in Nam Sang Wai, which opened students’ eyes to the diversity and beauty of Hong Kong’s natural environment,” Chan said. “I shared my experiences with the participants of the activities, with a view to inspiring young minds as they plan for their future.”
The Hang Lung Fun Math Tutorial Classes were established in 2015 by the “Hang Lung As One” volunteer team together with past Hang Lung Mathematics Awards participants and students from the Department of Mathematics of the Chinese University of Hong Kong to offer underprivileged students free one-on-one math tutorials. Jay Cheng, the Gold Award winner of the Awards in 2006, is now a civil engineer by profession and has served as a volunteer tutor since 2015. As one of the top volunteers with the most service hours contributed in 2017, he said, “As a keen enthusiast of mathematics, I want to equip primary students with analytical skills that will help them eliminate their fear of numbers. The Hang Lung Fun Math Tutorial Classes have enabled me to develop lasting friendships with students by offering them support as mentors.”
Having contributed 130 hours to serving the community in 2017, Hang Lung’s Senior Guest Service Associate Kaw Kin Min was crowned “Top Volunteer” for the third straight year in terms of the total number of hours served. In total, he has participated in more than 70 volunteer activities over the past three years, including math tutorial classes and architecture guided tours. For information of other top volunteers, please refer to the appendix.
Also presenting at the ceremony was special guest Hana, a well-known singer who actively participates in volunteer work. She shared her experience of offering haircutting services to the elderly in nursing homes alongside a team of more than 10 other hairdressers and the volunteer team organized by her fans before the Lunar New Year, a charitable act that reflects Hang Lung’s ethos to encourage employees to give back to society together with their family and friends.
The “Hang Lung As One” volunteer team comprises 11 volunteer teams in Hong Kong and mainland China. Last year, Hang Lung launched the “Hang Lung Young Architects Program” in Hong Kong to groom future architectural talents. The program has invited more than 300 secondary school students to participate in a series of interactive talks, workshops, games and guided tours that span one academic year to gain a thorough understanding of the relationship between architecture and the community, nurturing them to become future architects.
With an aim to strengthen the planning and leadership skills of colleagues who help organize volunteer activities in different Mainland cities, the Company is also organizing a volunteer workshop in Hong Kong this year. Colleagues from eight Mainland cities will be invited to join to exchange ideas on the design and successful implementation of volunteer activities.
During 2018, the “Hang Lung As One” volunteer team will continue to adopt Shaping The Future as the theme to provide in-depth and sustainable volunteer services for the benefit of the community.
