Dear Colleagues,

We serve, we share - Civil Service for the Chest

We civil servants are devoted to charity. In 1993, 1995 and 1998, we organised Civil Service Charity Walks for the Community Chest and succeeded in raising more than $10 million each time. This year, the Community Chest and we agree to jointly organise a new charity project with the theme of "We serve, we share - Civil Service for the Chest" to raise funds for 140 welfare agencies in Hong Kong. Colleagues may have learned of this project from the February issue of the Civil Service Newsletter and the memoranda we issued in March and April.

The kickoff of this project is a series of singing, dance, table-tennis and swimming competitions. For entry to these competitions, colleagues were required to raise a certain amount of money for donation to the Chest. The fund-raising drive met with an enthusiastic response - about 600 entries from more than 50 departments were received, and $400,000 have been raised so far.

Finals of the table-tennis, dance and singing competitions were held on 6, 13 and 19 May respectively. Colleagues from the Police Force captured championship in four divisions of the table-tennis competition, followed by colleagues from the Fire Services Department who won two first prizes. For the dance competition, colleagues from the Police Force and the Post Office both won three championships. The Fire Services Department won two, but gathered a total of ten trophies, topping all others.

Competition in the singing contest was the fiercest, with a total of 164 solo and team participants from 45 departments. The strongest competitors were from the Inland Revenue Department and the Police Force, each entering four final events. Coming first in two of the events, the Inland Revenue Department turned out to be the biggest winner of the contest. The swimming competition is scheduled for 27 May. Competitors will be from 24 departments.

Apart from the competitions, raffle tickets at $20 each have also been put on sale in all bureaux and departments since late April. I earnestly appeal for your generous support to this donation drive. Buying the raffle tickets will not only give you a chance to win many fabulous prizes, but will also benefit the needy. Please buy the raffle tickets yourself and also assist in promoting the sale of the tickets to your relatives and friends.

The climax of this year's fund-raising activities is a Charity Concert to be staged at the Hong Kong Coliseum in the afternoon of 10 June 2001. Production will be taken up by the Television Broadcasts Limited, which will broadcast the event that evening. The Concert will feature performances by civil servants and renowned singers and artists. They include Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang, who will take part in a bow tie competition, Financial Secretary Antony Leung, who will sing with Leon Lai and Sammi Cheng, and Secretary for Health and Welfare E K Yeoh who will sing a golden oldie with Sally Yeh. Besides, Commissioner of Police Y P Tsang will join in an ensemble with colleagues from the Police Force, Director of Home Affairs Shelley Lee will sing in unison with her colleagues, and Director of Health Margaret Chan will perform an excerpt from a Cantonese opera with Koi Ming-fai. There will also be performances by George Lam, Ekin Cheng, Joey Yung, Edison Chan, Elva Hsiao and some of the winners of the singing and dance competitions. Furthermore, some Members of the Executive Council have promised to perform on the stage.

We have since late April invited bureaux and departments to assist in the sale of tickets priced at $100 and $200 for the Concert. The proceeds from the sale will go to the Chest. Thanks for colleagues' support, all the $200 tickets have been reserved. Do act promptly and buy the remaining $100 tickets to give your performing colleagues a hearty support. I look forward to your participation in making this meaningful fund-raising event a success.

Members of the Civil Service are of one mind, not only at work but also in supporting the cause of charity. I am confident that with the active participation and full support of all colleagues, the fund-raising efforts this year will be more successful than ever. Through the charity event, the public will come to understand that we civil servants are caring individuals dedicated to serving the community.

We serve, we share. Let us join hands to raise the hopes of those in need.

Yours sincerely,

(Joseph W P Wong)
Secretary for the Civil Service