US Olympian sets up rowing club for disadvantaged Hong Kong children – to share the camaraderie and benefits
Medallist and her husband put HK$2 million into establishing Kai Tak Youth Rowing Club, to foster a love of the sport in children from low- and middle-income families living in East Kowloon
On a Saturday afternoon late last month under a blazing sun, the Kai Tak Youth Rowing Club was officially inaugurated in a park next to the Kwun Tong pier.
After the speeches, youngsters aged eight to 18 dressed in team colours took turns on stationary rowing machines to see who could row the fastest. Groups cheered their teammates on, creating an atmosphere of friendly competition and teamwork.
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The American expat is no stranger to hard work; she is a former Olympic rower who won a bronze medal in the lightweight women’s doubles at the 2000 Sydney Summer Games.
Garner and her husband, a research analyst for a mutual fund group, moved to Hong Kong eight years ago. After having her two daughters, completing a master’s degree in public health, and working in pharmaceuticals marketing, Garner felt a strong urge to set up a rowing community in the city specifically for children of low- and middle-income families living in East Kowloon.