Appeal calls on kindness of strangers to make dreams come true
Teenager Kam Chun-ki, who is all too aware of the kindness of strangers, has a special message to everyone in Hong Kong: please help Operation Santa Claus, and make other people's dreams come true.
Chun-ki knows what a difference the generosity of businesses and individuals can make. Earlier this year, it enabled her to travel to England with her mother to visit her sister, who is studying there.
The 15-year-old has been battling lymphoma - a form of cancer specific to the immune system - since she was five and has been in and out of hospital for radiation treatment and chemotherapy.
When her condition worsened this year, the Make-A-Wish Foundation stepped in and made the teenager's dream holiday come true, with plane tickets, accommodation and spending money.
The foundation is one of 12 beneficiaries of this year's Operation Santa Claus, which kicks off in just two days. It hopes the appeal will help grant more wishes for children like Chun-ki who have life-threatening illnesses.
The South China Morning Post and joint appeal organiser RTHK will mark the start of the annual fundraising effort with a ceremony at Government House attended by appeal patron Betty Tung Chiu Hung-ping, the wife of Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, and a line-up of celebrities, including singer-actress Miriam Yeung Chin-wah.
The event will bring all 12 beneficiaries, which have been highlighted over the past week, together with the major sponsors.
Operation Santa Claus Appeal project director Chan Cudennec said cheques and offers of help were already starting to come in.
'We already have a confirmed list of 10 sponsors who are going to make sizeable donations and they'll be the ones who get their logos on our Operation Santa Claus tree,' she said.
'I have received lots of calls from people asking me for more information and several have volunteered to help me with the administration.
'People are also telling me how much they appreciate the Operation Santa Claus Appeal and thanking us. One letter from a reader says seeing it in the paper makes the start of the day brighter.'
This year's appeal differs slightly from previous years in that it is not just asking for donations. Instead, people are being encouraged to buy specific items of equipment or to volunteer help.
On Thursday, the Post will give readers the chance to see exactly how they can help by printing a wish list of equipment, services and cash amounts needed to fulfil all the beneficiaries' dreams.
From then on, it will be up to the community, schools and businesses to pull together to make sure those wishes come true.
The effect on Chun-ki is testament to how a little help can go a long way.
Her mother says that since her trip to England, Chun-ki is now more willing to take on challenges and her confidence has been boosted.
She recently received a certificate for completing a walk around the edge of the Macau Tower - 233 metres up with no handrail.
The trip also gave Chun-ki the chance to try things she had never done, such as horse riding and enjoying her first taste of wine.
'I really had a wonderful time with my mum and my sister. It was so unforgettable and it will always stay in my dreams,' she said.
