Corporate Community Engagement Programs 2017
PVH - Circle Painting to Help Children with Disabilities Express Themselves Circle Painting is an art-creation experience which inspires its paticipants to openly express themselves and unleash thier inner creativity. It is a process that allows anyone to be a creator of art, and can be a calming and therapeutic experience for individuals with special needs. 94 volunteers from PVH paired up with 49 students with mild grade intellectual disabilities to guide them through the whole process of creating their own work of art under the guidance of a certified circle painting artist. The result was four bright and color-filled canvasses which now hang on the walls of the Mary Rose School playground for all to enjoy. Thank you PVH for helping these students fulfil their potential and experience the joy of being part of a team ! |
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CBRE - 'Walking for a Wish' with Children with Intellectual Disabilities CBRE Hong Kong staff recently took part in a week of community service which culminated in their annual fundraiser 'Walk for a Wish'. The fundraiser saw 25 volunteers and 20 students with intellectual disabilities from the PLK Anita L.L. Chan (Centenary) School walk together to raise money for a nominated charity — this year's charity was HandsOn Hong Kong and HK$82,000 was raised! The group walked from the CBRE office in Exchange Square to Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park enjoying the view, the fresh air and each other's company. The walk ended with a delicious lunch hosted for everyone in the CBRE office. Huge thanks to Team CBRE for your passion, ethusiasm and support! CBRE volunteers took part in several other activities during the week:
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Natixis – Supporting children with disabilities and rehabilitation for people recovering from mental illness The Natixis Hong Kong team rallied together last month for two consecutive days of community service in support of children with intellectual disabilities and an organic farm that aids patients recovering from mental illness. On October 23rd 15 volunteers volunteered a combined 75 hours of their time to accompany students with intellectual disabilities on an outing to an organic farm and to help them make eco-friendly bamboo cups. As a result of the volunteers' kindness, great energy and active participation, the students enjoyed a truly memorable afternoon. Another group of 14 Natixis volunteers gave 70 hours of their time to visit an eco-friendly farm that employs and supports patients recovering from mental illness. After taking a tour of the farm to understand its mission and operations, the volunteers spent the afternoon on-site making eco-friendly bags and organic lip balms as gifts for underprivileged women. Their day's efforts were hugely supportive of psychiatric rehabilitation services while also deepening the volunteers' understanding of how to support environmental conservation efforts. |
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DFS – Beautifying the walls of the Po Leung Kuk to bring joy to students with disabilities Students with severe intellectual and physical disabilities who board at the Po Leung Kuk Law Foundation School, have very few colourful or visually-stimulating spaces to enjoy within the school. 58 dedicated volunteers from DFS recently helped to address this when they spent their day brightening up nine of the school's walls with fun and imaginative designs of marine life. The students and volunteers were delighted with the finished results, which will be appreciated for years to come. |
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Pernod Ricard – a mini volunteering marathon on Responsib’all Day In the spirit of their Responsib’all Day, four groups of volunteers from Pernod Ricard engaged in a day of service activities. One group of 43 volunteers helped out at Kelly Animals Shelter by helping clean the kennels and undergo simple renovation tasks, such as painting the kennel walls. A total of 16 dog cages were renovated, improving the lives of 40 dogs. A second group of 67 volunteers engaged in a Soap recycling activity with Soap Cycling, where they helped recycle 135kg of soap and 426kg of lotion. This greatly benefits individuals in quake-affected areas in SE Asian communities gain access to soap, which is crucial for sanitation and disease prevention. A third group of 24 volunteers worked with Plastic Free Seas on a beach cleaning excursion. A total of 142kg of trash was collected, and volunteers learnt about the impacts of plastic waste on marine life. A last group of 33 volunteers visited Hong Kong Mutual Encouragement Association’s Jane Shu Tsao Social Center for the elderly. They accompanied 30 elderly in a themed fun day of games and food tasting. Since most of the elderly live alone, the company of the volunteers was valuable in brightening their lives and reintroducing a sense of companionship. |
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Ashurst – Cleaning a beach to preserve our oceans The oceans are under a huge amount of stress as a result of pollution, acidification, overfishing, chemical and solid waste and global warming. Reducing plastic pollution is one easy way that each of us can commit to helping to clean the South China Seas and beyond. A team of 22 volunteers from Ashurst rolled up their sleeves to clean litter and debris from a beach in Discovery Bay carefully and thoroughly, in spite of heavy rain during the activity. By the end of the afternoon they had cleaned 43 bags of rubbish and 2 bags of plastic bottles off the beach. An excellent accomplishment for 3 hours of volunteering. |
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Bloomberg – Turning corks into beautiful photo frames 33 devoted volunteers from Bloomberg took part in a Cork Upcycling Workshop activity where they cut and assembled coasters and photo-frames out of used wine corks. Their finished products were donated to Bethune House, which supports the needs of migrant workers. Within 2 hours, the volunteers had skillfully crafted 21 items, providing the migrant workers with useful items to use on a daily basis. |
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American Express – Building green wall for a greener life 33 volunteers from American Express also rolled up their sleeves and helped build a green wall for New Life Interactive Farm. This included pot planting and creating an irrigation system, as well as constructing the wall itself. A total of 2 green walls and 200 pots were planted, creating a more aesthetically pleasing farm. |
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Marriott – Recycling soap for families in South Eastern Asia 32 dedicated volunteers from Marriott took part in a Soap Recycling Workshop with Soap Cycling. They helped sort and carve 200kg of used soaps donated by hotels, enabling the soaps to be recycled and used by disadvantaged people in SE Asia who do not have access to these amenities to fulfill basic hygiene needs. |
Neuberger Berman – Fun technology day with students with disabilities A team of 18 enthusiastic volunteers from Neuberger Berman engaged in an afternoon of community service with students at Savior Lathuran School. They guided students with disabilities through KINECT education and VR experimental games, helping a total of 53 beneficiaries. |
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Oak tree – planting trees for the environment A group of 16 volunteers from OakTree engaged in a tree planting activity in Kadoorie Farm. Volunteers helped plant seedlings on the hill slopes and build tree guards to guide their growth. A total of 26 seedlings were successfully planted. Volunteers also learnt about reforestation efforts in Hong Kong, the science behind proper tree planting technique and the importance of replanting native species.
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Bloomberg – Maintaining healthy forests on Earth Day A team of 7 volunteers from Bloomberg took part in a Forest Maintenance activity with Ark Eden. Within 2.5 hours, the team was able to transport 50 bottles of fertilizer to the planting site for use next summer, and create 10 swales around the planted trees. The swales act as compost pits to collect nutrients and water that flow down hillsides. This benefited a total of 100 trees. In the spirit of Earth Day, volunteers also attended an eco-system workshop, where they learnt about ways to live a greener life. |
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Davis Polk – Showing compassion to women of the Bethune House migrant shelter The team at Davis Polk recently hosted a day of community service for their friends and family, when they invited them to make eco-friendly gifts for residents of a shelter for mistreated female migrant workers. 28 caring Davis Polk volunteers, friends, and their children joined a workshop run by Green Social Work to learn how to make eco-friendly gift packs including organic soap, eco-bags and insect-repellents. These sets were then distributed to 100 beneficiaries as a gesture of warmth, and to provide them with toiletries that will be of use at a difficult time. The participating children found the workshop to be great fun and it showed them the many benefits of giving back to others. |
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OtterBox – Lifting elderly’s spirits by joining them on a visit to a farm 37 volunteers from OtterBox helped to create a truly memorable experience for 29 elderly citizens from the ELCHK Communion Lutheran Elderly Health Centre when they joined them on a trip to an organic farm in February. The volunteers worked together with the elderly in several practical workshops that included dessert making, cookie baking and plant potting. One of the volunteers also called it a "heart-warming" experience for them. The centre began its operations in 1984, with the aim of meeting the needs, and caring for, the elderly in the districts of Tuen Mun, Shatin and Kwai Chun. |
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New Quest Capital – A full day of “green” community service 19 volunteers from our long-term partner organization, New Quest Capital, dedicated a full day to serving the community through environmentally focused volunteer initiatives. They began at the remote beach, Lung Kwu Tan in Tuen Mun, where they collected 240kg of foam, trash and other debris. They then traveled to the elderly center, Yau On Lutheran Centre for The Elderly, where they spent the afternoon making energy-saving solar lamps and organic lip balms. These gifts were handed out to 38 under-privileged elderly in the area which meant that these often-isolated citizens were treated with kindness, and ensured that they would all be using lamps that were energy-saving and potentially helping to reduce the cost of their electricity bills. |
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Veolia – Recycling soap for those most in need Have you ever wondered what happens to the soap left behind at hotels? Most hotels simply throw it away. Yet each day thousands of children die from diseases that can be largely prevented simply by washing with soap. This is where the wonderful organization Soap Cycling comes in, with their aim to recover and recycle this soap, and put it in the hands of those who need it most. The team of 33 volunteers from Veolia was thrilled to play a role in this important mission. They spent their day sorting and carving 118kg of recycled soap, which was then distributed to 236 children from underprivileged families around South East Asia. Thanks to these volunteers all these children will have free access to soap for one whole year. |
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Fossil – Making eco-friendly gift packs for Hong Kong’s homeless We were delighted to facilitate a large group of 103 passionate volunteers from Fossil recently who dedicated their time to join a workshop run by SOSO (the Society for Community Organization). During the session instructors from the social enterprise taught the volunteers step-by-step how to make various eco-friendly gifts including lip balms, environmentally friendly bags and soap. The result of their efforts was the creation of 240 gift packs, all of which were donated to some of Hong Kong’s homeless. A wonderful way to give back to those most in need in the lead up to Chinese New Year. |