Civic and business bodies aim to put a smile back on unmasked faces Even before the World Health Organisation lifted its travel advisory, civic groups and business associations had banded together to promote Hong Kong, stimulate the economy and banish the city's image as a disease-stricken place. Here are some of their efforts: The Jireh Fund, a Christian charity, started the Hello HK campaign to increase people's confidence. Using the slogan, 'One heart, one mind to enlighten faith', it has made a 20-second commercial that will air on television from today. The video shows one lit match, then many more joining it. The message is: 'We must never give up, especially now.' Internet search engine Yahoo! has also started a Cheer up! Hong Kong campaign, including a website at cheerup.yahoo.com.hk, where businesses and organisations can publish fund-raising and donation activities. The site will also include a shopping section to encourage web surfers to spend. The Cheer Up! campaign will last for six months and will include other activities, such as a day of children's games. A group of associations has launched the Brighten Hong Kong campaign to raise public confidence. A bilingual website, www.brightenhk.org.hk , gives a picture of the state of Sars in Hong Kong and aims to reinforce Hong Kong's international image. The campaign is organised by the Better Hong Kong Foundation, the Internet Professionals Association, the Outstanding Young Persons' Association and the World Trade Centres Association. It has received support from more than 20 local and overseas chambers of commerce and nearly 200 business associations and non-governmental organisations. The group is encouraging the public to send electronic cards urging business travellers and tourists to come back to Hong Kong. It will hold an essay competition and a 'Born Again' initiative to give out bookmarks with inspiring messages from those who have recovered from Sars. Lemon (Asia) Ltd, a marketing and communications firm, and Civic Exchange, an independent think-tank, also have launched a website, www.hongkongunmasked.com . The idea is to provide an alternative outlet of information to the media. It also will allow an exchange of information between people overseas and Hong Kong residents. The site accepts first-person articles and photographs from individuals and there are interviews with local business people. The idea for the website grew out of a meeting held by Fearbusters, a civic-led group headed by Christine Loh Kung-wai, the chief executive of Civic Exchange. The group, which has about 400 members, was formed as a platform to gather information from various industries, medical experts and local community members to defeat the fear surrounding Sars through education. Fearbusters will hold two seminars featuring professors from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, who will answer technical questions about Sars. The first session will be held next Sunday. For more information, visit www.fearbuster.org.hk . To encourage shoppers to leave their homes and splurge, OneCard has launched a 'Come Back Hong Kong' campaign. More than 1,000 restaurants and retail outlets and service providers are giving special offers to holders of OneCard, a discount and public transport card with an Octopus function. In addition, the company will donate $20 for each new member who joins the 'We Care Education Fund'. The cost of membership is $468. Those joining the scheme during the month-long promotion will receive cash coupons totalling $14,500. Retail outlets taking part in the campaign include Club 97, Di Bazzato, Queensway Golf, Thai Orchid restaurant and TCBY. For more information, go to www.onecard.com.hk .
