A moment of joy for the elderly
LAUGHTER and conversation filled the auditorium of St Charles School recently as a packed house enjoyed the Finale Variety Show of a month-long summer programme for the aged.
Organised by the Red Cross cadets of St Joseph's College and St Stephen's Girls' College, the programme's finale kicked off with a prize presentation for the best paper flower display - a competition held earlier in the programme.
Next on the agenda was the ever-popular Chinese music segment. The delight on the faces of the elderly audience was obvious as four students from St Stephen's Girls' College took to the stage to performed a ku zheng quartet.
But nothing could beat the reception received by the little ballerinas from Cheung Shau Fang Ballet School.
''We not only hope to provide entertainment, but also to encourage the elderly to co-operate with their neighbours and be more socially active,'' explained Chris Chan Kai-chit of St Joseph's College, chairperson of the organising committee.
Thus the variety show included some games. 'Passing the balloon' and 'guessing the fruit' were well accepted by both the old folks and the students.
''The whole summer programme included home visits as well as an outing to the Wong Nai Chung Country Park,'' said Tracy Chan Chui-Sze of St Stephen's Girls' College, chairperson of the organising committee.
''One of our aims is to provide the old people with medical checks, since there a lot of single elderly people living alone in Sai Wan Estates.
''This way, not only can the cadets use their Red Cross skills, they also earn higher self-esteem by serving the community,'' said Chris.
Some elderly people were reluctant to accept care from the young volunteers but generally most were receptive. ''Most of them were really nice and some even cooked for us when we went home-visiting. On the whole, it was very rewarding,'' said Tracey.
