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The Steering Committee on Promotion of Volunteer Service of the Social Welfare Department (SWD) will roll out for the first time the Community Caring Shops Recognition Scheme to promote volunteer service through collaboration between local shops and volunteer groups in the community.
Local shops, such as grocery stores, electrical shops, hair salons, optical shops, cake shops and small restaurants, are closely related to the daily life of people in the community. Besides providing daily necessities, they can also participate, with their staff and customers, in volunteer service and make good use of their social connections, resources, expertise and strengths to provide tailor-made services to the needy groups in the community.
Some shops also hire or provide employment assistance to the underprivileged, and hence help establish a harmonious and cohesive local community.
Local shops which have fewer than 50 employees and have participated or assisted in promoting volunteer service in the neighbourhood in 2011 can be nominated to the Scheme either by subvented non-governmental organisations or various District Offices of the SWD.
After an assessment process, a "2011/12 Caring Shop" logo will be issued to successful nominees as a token of recognition. Those shops with outstanding contributions to the community will be considered for the "Outstanding Caring Shop" award upon further adjudication.
The Committee hopes that the Scheme could help strengthen collaboration between local shops and residents to provide volunteer service to the needy in their neighbourhood and community, and encourage them to integrate the core values of volunteer service into daily life so as to echo the theme, "Volunteering - New Attitude to Life!", that the Committee has chosen for this year.
Details of the Scheme and nomination forms can be downloaded from the website of the Scheme (www.volunteering-hk.org/tc/2012caringshop , Chinese only). For enquiries, please call the Secretariat, Steering Committee on Promotion of Volunteer Service, at 2116 3490.
Nominations can be made from tomorrow (March 1) till April 30.
Ends/Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:57
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