Hong Kong’s Shung Tak Catholic English College holds charity fun fair for Operation Santa Claus
- School invited The Pathways Foundation to give a talk about children with dyslexia, teaching students how to take concrete action in society
- Annual fundraising initiative, celebrating its 35th anniversary, is co-organised by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK
Faculty members of Shung Tak Catholic English College in Yuen Long, including Principal Dr Cecilia Tang (centre right) and English Panel Head Graham Manchester (second from right). Photo: Bharat KhemlaniOrganising a fully-fledged activity from scratch is one of the annual highlights at Shung Tak Catholic English College. The students had to communicate and collaborate with their fellow schoolmates, teachers and parents as they took part in a fundraising drive to support Operation Santa Claus (OSC).
On December 16 last year, the students organised a charity fun fair, where they set up food stalls that provided baked goods, hot meals and snacks among others.
Many students were dressed up for the occasion in casual clothes, voted for teachers to dress up as Christmas trees and enjoyed themselves at the game booths.
OSC is an annual fundraising initiative co-organised by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK. Since 1988, it has raised HK$353 million to support the Hong Kong community through 323 charitable projects. This year, for its 35th anniversary, OSC is funding 15 charitable projects, including those that help the disabled, migrant workers in distress, and children in need.
“This is an entirely student-led event which unites the students as a whole,” said Graham Manchester, the school’s English panel head. “It also highlights the work of OSC and allows students to understand what the initiative does for the people in the community.”
Being a supporter of OSC for more than two decades, the school deems it a valuable experience as it can help enhance students’ all-round skills and create a positive learning environment, according to principal Cecilia Tang Sui-sim. It will also boost their confidence and encourage them to come forward and express their thoughts, while giving the school a chance to engage with their parents, Tang added.
The fair also helped students learn more about charities while raising awareness about social problems.
“We invited The Pathways Foundation to give a talk in our school about children with dyslexia,” said Matthew Wong Hong-yu, leader of the school’s OSC committee, who supervised the fun fair. The Pathways Foundation is one of the 15 beneficiaries this year.
“The charity [Pathways Foundation] taught us how to help the needy with concrete actions and raised awareness about a group of people whom the society does not give much emphasis to,” Wong added.
The students said they were happy to be part of a worthy cause.
“The OSC event reflects the vibrant school life and the strong spirit of togetherness,” said Demi Kwok Tsz-kiu, chairperson of the English society, “Every student and teacher play a vital role in the event.”
“Organising and taking part in the OSC activity makes me feel like we are a big family, it allows us to communicate and bond with our classmates,” said Gemmi Cheung Yuen-ching, chairperson of the student union.
For more information on this year’s beneficiaries, please click here.
