Jockey Club rides in with $35m boost
Funds for tsunami victims received a $35 million boost yesterday when Hong Kong Jockey Club chairman Ronald Arculli handed a cheque to TVB general manager Stephen Chan Chi-wan.
The presentation was also attended by Miss Hong Kong Kate Tsui Tsz-shan and runners-up Queenie Chu Wai-man and Fu Sze-sze.
The money will be divided among World Vision, the Red Cross, Oxfam, Unicef and the Salvation Army.
It includes $30 million gathered from donation boxes at Jockey Club outlets, as well as donations from staff, with one member giving $500,000 alone.
The funds are in addition to $10 million already given by the Jockey Club and cash raised at a TVB charity concert on Saturday.
More is on the way from tonight's fund-raising concert at the Hong Kong Stadium featuring stars from the mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong including Jackie Chan, Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi and Faye Wong.
Speaking at the cheque presentation, Ms Tsui said she had been distressed by pictures of the tsunami disaster, which she said was even sadder as it happened on the Boxing Day holiday.'I think Hong Kong is a lucky place to be free of this kind of disaster. So what we should do now is try our best to donate money for the victims,' she said.
Ms Tsui hoped there were more volunteers from Hong Kong willing to help the victims.
She said she would try to comfort the representatives from the affected countries when she saw them today at the Miss Chinese International Pageant in Hong Kong.
Mr Arculli said the accident had had personal implications.
'My wife's sister was in Sri Lanka when the tsunami happened. And I have friends in Phuket,' he said.
Although he had not made a donation yet, he said he hoped there would be more donations to the Jockey Club from the show at the stadium tonight.
Ten per cent of the total raised by the organisation will be used to help locals affected by the tragedy.
