Page 15 - Sphere No.28 (Mar 2011)

13
Sphere
Opposite: Mr Li Ka-shing gives a
warm welcome to the enthusiastic
winners of the first Love Ideas, Love HK
programme.
Two words sum up the overwhelming feeling at the Love Ideas, Love HK Sharing
Session in December – joy and passion. Representatives of the 177 winning projects
in this community-spirited programme were overjoyed at having won enough votes
to put their ideas into action through the generosity of the Li Ka Shing Foundation
(LKSF) and every one of them was truly passionate about those projects.
Perhaps the electricity and excitement in the air should not have surprised anyone
– for since its launch in September last year, LKSF’s Love Ideas, Love HK programme
has lit a spark in this city – a spark of altruism and community spirit that some
doubted even existed.
Hong Kong has a reputation for its wealth creation, so it is inspiring to see how Love
Ideas, Love HK brought out a different aspect of the city’s character – social entrepre-
neurship instead of financial entrepreneurship. The programme is actually reshaping
the way people think about caring for others.
Comedian/radio DJ Lam Chiu-wing, who won funding for his idea to cheer up
patients by doing stand-up comedy in hospitals, summed it up when he said: “The pro-
gramme has really got people thinking creatively about how to help their community. It
has created a platform for selflessly helping others and provided the means to do so – I
think that’s why it has sparked a whole new way of thinking in Hong Kong. It’s truly
inspiring to see the innovative ways people have found to help those in need.”
Mr Li Ka-shing made a speech at the sharing session in which he quoted former
United States President Theodore Roosevelt’s famous In the Arena speech, originally
delivered at the Paris Sorbonne University in 1910, that “The credit . . . belongs to the
man who does actually strive to do the deeds.”
For that is what this HKD300 million philanthropic campaign, whose umbrella title
is Love HK Your Way! is all about: giving people the means to help each other. It goes
further than just financial support, too. At the sharing session, representatives from
Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) and charitable body St James’ Settle-
ment (SJS), were on hand to advise people how to implement their plans success-
fully, and these two bodies will actively help winners to put their ideas into
action.
After all, most of the winners are new to philanthropy and do not
have experience in running a charitable programme. During a
speech Josephine Lee, Senior Manager of Corporate Venture-
Partnership & Alliance at SJS, talked about what it means to
be a charity. She said the Love Ideas, Love HK programme
advocated care for the community and encouraged
creativity, which dovetailed nicely with SJS’s own objec-
tives. She also offered practical advice, reminding
people to plan carefully how to allocate the money.
“Be clear about your objectives, stick with your
original plan.”
The programme has also been given the sup-
port of the HKCSS, whose Business Director Cliff
Choi said at the sharing session the Council was
delighted that the programme connected and
mobilised the public to be more thoughtful to
those in need. He urged the winners to call the
Council if they ran into difficulties and needed
help. “Tell us early if you discover you will have
cash left over from your project. We can advise you
how best to use it to further the benefits to others,”
he said.
Ms Lee from SJS also warned that the work can be
tiring, but added: “Please call us immediately if you
“[The programme]
has created a
totally original way
for corporations,
individuals and
social organisations
to work together.”