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The wife of the Chief Executive and Volunteer-in-Chief, Mrs Selina Tsang, said today (December 5) that volunteer service had received a very good response from all sectors of the Hong Kong community and had become an integral part of the local culture, adding colour and meaning to the lives of its people.
Speaking at the 2009 Hong Kong Volunteer Award presentation ceremony, Mrs Tsang said that the event carried special meaning for awardees, especially as it was held on International Volunteer Day today and along with the grand opening of the East Asian Games to which many volunteers had contributed greatly to make it a success.
"This year, we have adopted the theme 'One Family One Heart' to encourage volunteering by the whole family to foster family ties while serving the community," she added.
Speaking on the same occasion, the Director of Social Welfare, Mr Patrick Nip, echoed Mrs Tsang's remarks.
"This year, we have also introduced the Best Family Volunteer Recognition Scheme to encourage the forming of family volunteer teams to serve the community on one hand and enhance the quality of family life on the other," he said.
He encouraged people from all walks of life, organisations and groups to volunteer, and incorporate volunteering into family life and corporate culture, moving toward the goal of "All Citizens All Volunteers".
The annual awards presentation was organised by the Social Welfare Department's Steering Committee on the Promotion of Volunteer Service to recognise the contribution of volunteers and further promote the Volunteer Movement.
Today, awards were presented to commend various types of volunteers for their outstanding contribution in 2008. More than 67,000 volunteer certificates were issued to committed volunteers, including 35 volunteers who had served the community for over 20 years and 156 families which had formed family volunteer teams. Also commended were individual volunteers, family volunteer teams and volunteer organisations that had offered the highest number of service hours. Please see annex for a list of awardees (Chinese only).
A newly designed poster with the theme "One Family One Heart" aimed at promoting family volunteering and fostering a harmonious society was also launched at the ceremony.
Also present at the ceremony were the Convenor of the Sub-committee on the Promotion and Publicity of Volunteer Service, Mr Michael Wong; the Convenor of the Sub-committee on the Promotion of Corporate Volunteering, Mr Herman Hui; the Convenor of the Sub-committee on the Promotion of Volunteering in Community Organisations, Mr Caecage Siu, and the Convenor of the Sub-committee on the Promotion of Student and Youth Volunteering, Mr Lee Kam-chung.
Since the promotion of volunteer service by the department in 1998, about 880,000 registered volunteers and more than 1,900 registered organisations have committed to volunteer service. In 2008, the registered volunteers devoted more than 20 million hours of service to the community.
Ends/Saturday, December 5, 2009
Issued at HKT 16:06
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