Hong Kong Welcomes Habitat * * * Fundraising Plus Initiative to Help Elderly within Hong Kong

May 18, 2005

Hong Kong’s benefit committee (from left): Ling Chen, Jung Hwa Ro, Bhagwanti Mohan, Jenny Tsun, Loletta Chu,

Irene chu, Yumiko Kuok, Stacey Morse, Lydia Dorfman, Caroline Roberts, Rita Ying, Sheila Pascual and Junri Konii Egerton

HONG KONG, 18th May, 2005: Hong Kong’s business and diplomatic community gave a warm welcome to Habitat with a cocktail party at the Shangri La Hotel last week, hosted by HFH Hong Kong’s benefit committee.

Darwin Chen, chairman of the newly-created HFH Hong Kong board of directors, told the 100 guests that Habitat may explore shelter-related activities for the elderly in the territory. Habitat’s main functions in Hong Kong will revolve around fundraising, advocacy and organizing volunteers for builds in other countries.

Raising Hong Kong’s profile: Bhagwanti Mohan (left), member of benefit committee, and Irene Chu, vice co-chair of the committee

At the party, Stacey Morse and Yumiko Kuok, co-chairs of the benefit committee, announced the first formal Habitat benefit event, which will be held in November and supported by Citigroup. In addition to fundraising, members of the HFH Hong Kong benefit committee are hoping to participate in a build this summer.

Among the speakers were Dr. Patrick Ho, the territory’s Secretary for Home Affairs, Anna Tham of the Paragon Education Centre, and Michael Berchtold, president of Morgan Stanley Asia-Pacific. The party was underwritten by the Asia-Pacific Shangri-la.

Berchtold told guests about his recent experience on a Habitat build; he participated in a Hong Kong International School (HKIS) family build in China’s Yunnan province in March. HKIS has hosted an active campus chapter for some time, and sent the first Global Village team to China in 2004. David Mok, a student at HKIS, also told guests about his participation on a build in Fiji last year.