Kids do their bit for charity on Discovery Bay walk
About 500 young children and their families brought Christmas to Discovery Bay early yesterday during the ninth annual Discovery Mind charity walk.
About 500 young children and their families brought Christmas to Discovery Bay early yesterday during the ninth annual Discovery Mind charity walk.
Michele Fernandes, play centre supervisor at the Discovery Mind school, said the concept of charity might be hard for younger children to grasp, but there was no harm in small steps.
"The concept of sharing and giving is what they understand," said Fernandes. "It's a perfect lesson for anyone in any age group to receive."
As the number one sponsor school of Operation Santa Claus last year, Discovery Mind raised HK$120,000 with 600 walkers.
"The walks have been very successful for the past nine years," said Jane Wilson, the head of the school's international section. "Operation Santa Claus will benefit a lot of children who aren't as fortunate as our students," she said.
"It's also good to put something into practice, for the children to actually help someone."
Wilson said students' families were a major source of donations each year. "In the end, without their support, the walks would have never been this successful."
Cynthia Chow, the director of all Discovery Mind schools in Lantau, said the project started in 2006.
"We wanted to be part of the community," Chow said. "When we started, we were a small school with students from 15 months to six years old.
"Now that we have expanded from Discovery Bay to Tung Chung, we wish that the walk could extend further into Hong Kong in the future."
Hannah Hebburn, whose daughter attends Discovery Mind kindergarten, took part in the walk for a second year.
"I think it's great to do something when we're so fortunate. It's very easy to get stuck in the Discovery Bay bubble when you're detached from the rest of the city."
How you can give
- Donate online by credit card at osc.scmp.com/donate
- Donate at an ATM or any branch of HSBC (account number 502-676299-001 for SCMP Charities Ltd - Operation Santa Claus)
- You can donate with a cheque payable to "SCMP Charities Ltd - Operation Santa Claus" and mail it to: Operation Santa Claus, Morning Post Centre, 22 Dai Fat Street, Tai Po Industrial Estate, Tai Po, New Territories.
- Donations of HK$100 or more are tax-deductible. If you would like a tax receipt, please send the completed donation form and original bank receipt to the address above.
- Please call 26808159 or e-mail [email protected] with any inquiries, or visit us online at osc.scmp.com
