Civil service volunteers reach out to serve elderly people in Aberdeen (with photos)
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The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, and the Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Wong Kwok-hing, led a 30-strong team comprising members from the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) Volunteer Team and the Oi Kwan Volunteer Group (OKVG) which was founded by staff members of the Correctional Services Department (CSD). They first attended a pledging ceremony at the Jockey Club Wong Chi Keung District Elderly Community Centre of the Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association (AKA) Social Service. They also exchanged experience with volunteers of the AKA and prepared for the home visits later.
Afterwards, they set off to visit elderly persons with chronic diseases, living alone or with special needs in the district to learn about their needs under the COVID-19 epidemic and brief them on anti-epidemic information and services. They also carried out minor home cleaning for the elderly.
Many civil service colleagues actively participate in volunteer service in their spare time. The OKVG with a history of 17 years is a good example in this regard. The volunteer group has since blossomed into a team of over 5 000 people, with members including retirees and their family members. It has also developed into a charitable organisation.
Mr Nip said, "The joint visit to Aberdeen by the CSB Volunteer Team and members of OKVG today illustrates that caring for the society is not sector-specific and there is no age limit for volunteering. It is our greatest reward to see the smiles on the faces of the elderly today. I hope that more colleagues will reach out to the community to participate in volunteer services to express their care. At same time, it will let us understand more about the needs of members of the public. Under the epidemic, although each volunteer service may not be very large in scale, the accumulation of small amounts of effort can already bring more warmth to the community."
Even though many CSD colleagues had unfortunately become infected in the fifth wave of the COVID-19 epidemic, Mr Wong said that when the epidemic situation had become slightly stabilised, colleagues were united and enthusiastic in their response, and organised 20 volunteer activities from end-March to mid-June this year. About 370 volunteers, including recovered colleagues, were deployed to participate in anti-epidemic volunteer work.
Ends/Saturday, June 18, 2022
Issued at HKT 18:33
Issued at HKT 18:33
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