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The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, today (December 7) paid tribute to volunteers from different sectors for their devotion and unfailing participation in volunteer work. They had helped foster social cohesion by injecting positive energy into the community and promoting mutual help, Mr Cheung said.
Officiating at the 2013 Hong Kong Volunteer Award Presentation Ceremony organised by the Social Welfare Department (SWD), Mr Cheung presented awards to outstanding volunteers and organisations and launched a new round of television Announcements in the Public Interest for Volunteer Movement. Noting that the theme of the Volunteer Movement is "Volunteering - New Attitude to Life", he encouraged more people to instil the spirit of volunteerism into their daily life by taking part in fun-filled and diversified volunteer work. By helping and caring for one another, volunteers could foster a sense of worthiness and enrich their own lives, he added.
"The Volunteer Movement has kept growing since its inception by SWD in 1998. At present, there are over 1.2 million registered volunteers and 2 500 Volunteer Movement participating organisations, and altogether they have contributed more than 22.66 million hours of volunteer service to the community in the last year.
"Volunteerism has evolved and taken on increased diversity and creativity over the years, enabling service recipients to enjoy tailor-made and innovative experiences. Some volunteers even go beyond geographical boundaries to serve those underprivileged communities elsewhere. Their passion has motivated more people to join this meaningful work. I hope that our volunteers will continue to promote social cohesion and solidarity with their positive energy in keeping with the spirit of the 'Hong Kong: Our Home' campaign," he said.
Attending the same occasion, the Director of Social Welfare, Ms Carol Yip, and the Deputy Director of Social Welfare (Services), Mr Lam Ka-tai, said that the SWD would continue to deepen and promote the Volunteer Movement with a view to enhancing the quality and depth of the projects, and to integrating volunteerism into people's daily lives and local communities. The Volunteer Movement has been expanding among district communities, and many local shops participated in volunteer services by making good use of their social connections to offer resources and their expertise to help and take care of those in need. The Job Shadowing Programme launched last year also enabled corporate volunteers of small and medium enterprises to flexibly participate in volunteer work through mentorship, and shared their experience with youths to widen their horizons and help them formulate their life plan. Novice volunteers from the new generation would also expand the volunteering team in return.
The SWD would also like to thank the Steering Committee on Promotion of Volunteer Service, its four Sub-committees on Promotion, 11 District Co-ordinating Committees, District Social Welfare Officers and all Committee Members for their commitment and active participation in giving invaluable suggestions when mapping out the direction and strategy of the Volunteer Movement, such that volunteerism has been moving ahead with depth and diversity.
Today's ceremony, organised by the Steering Committee on Promotion of Volunteer Service of the SWD, is also one of the major events in support of the "Hong Kong: Our Home" Campaign. The ceremony aims to pay tribute to the volunteers for their contribution and to further promote voluntary services to the community, as well as to promote care and mutual help in the community.
Awards were presented to volunteers from various sectors for their outstanding contribution in 2012. The awardees included 75 volunteers who had served the community for more than 20 years and volunteer organisations of public and private groups with the provision of the highest number of service hours. Please see the Annex for a list of awardees (Chinese only).
Also officiating at today's ceremony were the Convenor of Sub-committee on the Promotion and Publicity of Volunteer Service, Mr Lai Chi-tong; the Convenor of the Sub-committee on Promotion of Corporate Volunteering, Mr Kwan Chuk-fai; the Convenor of the Sub-committee on Promotion of Volunteering in Community Organizations, Mr Quentin Fong; and the Convenor of the Sub-committee on Promotion of Student and Youth Volunteering, Ms Theresa Tao.
Ends/Saturday, December 7, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:40
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