Amongst all the mega sports events lately, one of the most important has to be the UBS Hong Kong Open scheduled for 8 – 11 December.
For the second year in a row, Friends of Asia Hong Kong has been appointed the official charity of this important tournament and has taken the lead in its charitable initiatives, of which the Charity Cup raised over HK$2 million last year to benefit underprivileged children and youth from three local charities in Hong Kong.
To further expand the fundraising opportunities, this year Friends of Asia has organized an additional event to the Charity Cup golf tournament, which is the inaugural Charity Dinner and Concert held last night in Deep Water Bay. The theme of the dinner is “Greens and Stars” to highlight that it was held outdoors under the stars on the fairway of the beautiful Hong Kong Golf Club. It also signifies the star-grade donors who came to the event.
Some 300 guests and patrons attended the dinner and had the most memorable evening.
Of those who attended were two very special guests – currently ranked world number 33 PGA golfer Mr Rafael Cabrera-Bello and number 80 Mr Kiredech Aphibarnrat. Both of the players were to compete in the UBS Hong Kong Open tournament and they shared a few tips on how to improve golf skills with the guests.
Friends of Asia also invited the children from The HUB Hong Kong to perform a ballet and the dance students from InspiringHK Sports Foundation to perform Jazz Funk. Both are amongst the four beneficiaries for this year’s funds. The other two beneficiaries are Autism Partnership Foundation and Playright Children’s Play Association. Friends of Asia has once again pledged to match the total funds raised from the Charity Cup campaign dollar-for-dollar, with a minimum donation of HK$1,000,000 going to the campaign’s designated beneficiaries.
Dr Caleb Chan, Founder of Friends of Asia Hong Kong, commented on the new initiative, saying, “Following the remarkable success of hosting the first Charity Cup golf tournament, Friends of Asia is proud to once again be supporting this worthwhile charity initiative. This year we would like to expand the scope of donors to both golfers and non-golfers and hence the idea of the Charity Dinner and Concert. It is also the first time that the Deep Water Bay Golf Club is hosting such a unique event on one of their golf courses.
We are committed to surpass last year’s funds raised to benefit four charities this year. As the Official Charity of the UBS Hong Kong Open, the tournament provides a vital platform for us to advocate our mission, which is to provide resources that can help start meaningful health and wellness programs through sports to disadvantaged children and youth in our community.”
The highlight of the evening has to be the star performance by the duo Elisa Chan and Anthony Lun. Not only did their singing enchanted everyone but they quickly mingled with the guests and made everyone join in the excitement. The whole evening ended in a climax brought on by their outstanding performance.