Civil service volunteers redecorate homes of the elderly
The Director of Architectural Services, Mr Yue Chi-hang, and the Deputy Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Rosanna Ure, today (September 15) officiated at the kick-off ceremony of the 'Redecoration of Homes of the Elderly' project (the Project) under the Civil Service Volunteer Action.
Mr Yue and Mrs Ure presented certificates to representatives of civil service volunteer teams to duly recognise their participation in volunteer services.
They led some 40 civil service volunteers to provide maintenance services to homes of the elderly residing at Ming Wah Dai Ha in Shaukeiwan, and redecorated the units themselves.
Mrs Ure said: "As members of the public, civil servants are not only committed to serving the community, but are also willing to devote their spare time to help those in need."
She also praised some 240 civil service volunteers from 33 bureaux and departments for contributing to the community in their leisure time by participating in this year's project and extending their community-oriented service culture into their daily lives.
The Chairman of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, Mr Ong Ka-lueng, Peter, the 5th Vice-Chairman of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, Mrs Chan Man yee-wai and the Director of the A.J.R. Charitable Foundation Ltd., Mr Chan Chung-yee, also officiated at the ceremony.
The Project has been organised by the Architectural Services Department Volunteer Team in collaboration with the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals since 2004. It aims to redecorate homes of the elderly located in the Shaukeiwan District. In the past three years, about 140 units of the homes of the elderly have been redecorated.
This year,the Project is jointly organised by the Civil Service Bureau (the Bureau), the Architectural Services Department and the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. Civil service volunteers will redecorate some 40 units of the homes of the elderly from September to December 2007.
To promote volunteerism in the civil service, the Bureau launched the Civil Service Volunteer Work Programme in 2002 to encourage civil servants to form volunteer teams to help those in need using their leisure time. Since its implementation, more than 60 civil service volunteer teams have been set up.
The launch of the Civil Service Volunteer Action is a continuation and enhancement of the Civil Service Volunteer Work Programme to encourage more civil servants to take part in volunteer services to serve the community. It is also one of the events in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
The Civil Service Volunteer Action is a one-year campaign commenced in April 2007. The Bureau has worked together with relevant departments to provide volunteer services under five specific themes, namely 'Protect and Conserve our Environment', 'Share our Work with the Community', 'Care for the Community', 'Promote a Healthy Lifestyle' and 'Promote Arts and Cultural Activities'.
Since the Civil Service Volunteer Action Launching Ceremony cum Tree Planting Day held on May 12, 2007, the Bureau has worked together with different departments to organise various volunteer services, including :
services/activities
Conserve
our
Environment
Kong Wetland Park'
Architectural Services
Department
Change'
Hong Kong Observatory
Conservation Project'
Highways Department
Buildings Department
Drainage Services
Department
with the
Community
Observatory'
Hong Kong Observatory
Information Services
Department
Fun Show for
Senior Citizens'
Rating and Valuation
Department
Homes of the
Elderly'
Architectural Services
Department
Healthy
Lifestyle
'Caring for the Elderly
with Health Talks'
Department of Health
Saturday, September 15, 2007