September 2014 - Hope of the City Newsletter
Summer Events Wrap-up
Summer 2014 was a fun and fulfilling one. In late July, 8 teens from J-Life joined our second Life Front-line Sailing Ministry camp, spending three days and two nights on a sailboat. The life skills and confidence acquired through this unique camp are truly life-changing. At The Hub Hong Kong many special interest classes were offered, including hip hop dancing and drawing. A range of new classes begin this fall. On Aug 16, a group of 20 low-income families from North Point joined our movie outing, sharing a sandwich lunch, snacks and a 3-D movie, Plane 2.
On Aug 20-24, twenty children aged 10-12 from Sham Shui Po joined the Rainbow Camp at Noah’s Ark. This 5-day residential camp was a time of fun, friendship and learning as the children took on new challenges and shared experiences. Thank you to Rainbow Foundation and the volunteer youth counsellors for making this such an empowering event for these children.
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Shining Lights at Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn Festival is the perfect time to shine the light of love on our communities, and that’s exactly what Hope of the City’s volunteers did this September.
- On Sep 6, we joined Yan Kei church for home visits to deliver mooncakes and a message of hope in Sham Shui Po.
- The same day, we teamed up with J-Life to treat 17 families to afternoon tea, followed by an outing to Jao Tsung-I Academy in Mei Foo for a moon-lit celebration.
- Sep 7 saw 40 volunteers join home visits to 17 families and elderly with the North Point Family Welfare Society.
Thank you to all our caring volunteers!
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A Day of Dim Sum and Discovery
Local outings are a mainstay of Hope of the City’s service to the elderly in Shek Kip Mei. On Sep 20, more than 60 of our volunteers - mostly long-timers – met up to have dim sum with some 30 elderly members of the St James Settlement Kindness Centre. What better way to strengthen relationships and share love and laughter than over steaming baskets of dim sum! Lunch was followed by an afternoon outing to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Shatin where volunteers and their Por Por or Gong Gong explored the Bruce Lee exhibit and revisited Hong Kong’s past.
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Hope and Promise under the Rainbow
This summer’s Rainbow Camp at Noah’s Ark was an exhilarating experience for the 20 children from Sham Shui Po who participated. The impact was obvious during the colorful graduation party on Aug 24, capping the 5-day residential camp. Laughter, hugs and high-fives filled the room as the campers dug in to a sumptuous buffet lunch and shared last-minute stories and photos before saying goodbye. There were touching moments too, during the team performances and final awards ceremony, as children and youth counsellors alike shared about how the camp had given them a new perspective on life. How exhilarating is that?
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Fun, Fun, Fun in the Sun
Stanley Beach was the destination for our most recent family outing, on Sep 27. Forty-four children and parents were transported from congested Sham Shui Po to another world of wide-open sand, sea and clear blue skies. Off came the shoes and out came the sunscreen, spades and buckets as everyone set to work building sandcastles with the help of a fun-loving team of BofAML volunteers. Many of these families had never been to Stanley or built a sandcastle before, so it took some time to learn the art of mixing sand and sea water to construct their masterpieces. Soon, an odd assortment of ‘castles’ dotted the shoreline - and all were declared prize-winners! A well-earned lunch followed, with burgers, fries and – gotta have it - ice cream! We are immensely grateful to BofAML for so generously sponsoring this day of laughter and smiles.
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