Hong Kong Volunteer Award honors outstanding contributors to the community for their exemplary service

The Hong Kong Volunteer Award 2023, co-organized by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau and the Agency for Volunteer Service, aimed to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of exceptional volunteers and teams in the community, spanning corporations, organizations from various sectors, partnership projects, housing estates and schools.

The Hong Kong Volunteer Award presentation ceremony took place at Queen Elizabeth Stadium on January 3, attended by Guests of Honor including Mrs Janet Lee, wife of the Chief Executive of the HKSAR and Honorary Patron & Volunteer-in-Chief; Mr Clarence Leung, Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs; Mrs Ann Kung, Steward of The Hong Kong Jockey Club; and Ms Melissa Kaye Pang, Chairman of the Agency for Volunteer Service.

In her address, Mrs Lee paid tribute to the volunteers for their selflessness and tenacity during the pandemic and continued support in the post-pandemic period. “Their care and compassion set exemplary volunteering models for the people of Hong Kong,” she remarked.

Recognizing volunteers, corporations, and organizations for their active participation in volunteering

During the ceremony, more than 22,000 awards were presented to honor individual volunteers, businesses, organizations, schools and estates for their active participation in volunteering. They included the Heroic Volunteer Award, Volunteer Hours Award, Long Service Award, as well as others for categories including Caring Estate, Outstanding Caring School, Outstanding Corporation, Outstanding Volunteer/Group, Outstanding Youth Volunteer/Group and more.

Notably, the number of awards this year was nearly three times greater than last year, demonstrating the extent to which the community values and encourages volunteerism.

Brand-new awards unveiled

Seven new awards were presented this year, including the Outstanding Young Volunteer Project Award, and six others supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust through its JC VOLUNTEER TOGETHER initiative, namely the JC VOLUNTEER TOGETHER Outstanding New Star Volunteer Award, JC VOLUNTEER TOGETHER Outstanding Evergreen Volunteer Award, JC VOLUNTEER TOGETHER Outstanding Caring School Award, JC VOLUNTEER TOGETHER New Star Volunteer Award (Volunteer Hours), JC VOLUNTEER TOGETHER Evergreen Volunteer Award (Volunteer Hours) and JC VOLUNTEER TOGETHER Caring School.

Club Steward Ann Kung said the Club has supported many projects over the years to promote volunteerism, including JC VOLUNTEER TOGETHER, which provides the public with a diversity of volunteer service opportunities. It is through this initiative that the Club supported the six new awards under the Hong Kong Volunteer Award scheme.

Inspiring volunteer experiences

During the ceremony, a few outstanding volunteer stories were presented. These incredible experiences serve as an inspiration for creative volunteer work and campaigns that encourage volunteering.

“We hope that the Award winners’ stories will encourage and inspire more people to work together to build a caring and inclusive society,” Ms Pang said. “Our major targets include young people, those aged 50 and over, and first-time volunteers.”

One of the recipients of the JC VOLUNTEER TOGETHER Outstanding Evergreen Volunteer Award was 90-year-old Siu Ah Yi. Siu has participated in various services, including emergency support, gift-exchange events and carnivals, to motivate more people to volunteer.

Ko Wing Chi, a functional underwear industry veteran, received an Outstanding Volunteer Award. She discovered by chance that the majority of individuals with disabilities have a habit of wearing second-hand underwear given by their families. This encouraged her to establish Hong Kong’s first barrier-free underwear store to ensure all beneficiaries can comfortably choose proper and suitable intimate clothing.

Lo Chun Yin is another recipient of the Outstanding Volunteer Award. As chairman of the nonprofit organization Wheel for Oneness, Lo has organized various volunteer activities, such as planning school presentations to discuss strategies and programme content for helping disabled people in the face of hardship and organizing experiential art classes.

Islamic Kasim Tuet Memorial College, Hong Kong’s only Islamic secondary school with 90% of the students being of South Asian origin, received the JC VOLUNTEER TOGETHER Outstanding Caring School Award. The school arranged bilingual volunteers and interpreters and offered cultural training to help students understand local culture and values, minimize cultural conflicts, and avoid cultural differences that could cause students to become maladjusted.

Lam Sze Wing, one of the Outstanding Youth Volunteer Award winners, experienced emotional distress in 2018. In addition to sharing her personal story on social media to assist others with mood disorders, Lam founded Shelter. The social enterprise offers a safe space for people to express their feelings and helps those suffering from mood disorders by providing peer support.

Among other accolades, the Heroic Volunteer Award honours and recognizes community members for bravery. In addition, 156 schools received the JC VOLUNTEER TOGETHER Caring School Award; seven schools received the JC VOLUNTEER TOGETHER Outstanding Caring School Award; 1,367 individuals received JC VOLUNTEER TOGETHER New Star Volunteer Award (Volunteer Hours); and 378 estates have been awarded as Caring Estate.

To volunteer, seek volunteers’ support or require volunteer service training, please visit AVS at www.avs.org.hk.