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apply a personal element of warmth to his
philanthropy that large charities can sometimes
overlook. “The approach [of large
NGOs] can be very cold because the people
on the other end do not get to see the people
who made the donations,” he explains.
Since then, Lo has participated in several
free concerts at community centres organized
by local charities. One particular
organization close to his heart is the Hong
Kong Society for the Aged, known as SAGE.
Lo not only sings for the charity’s events but
also helps to plan them with his wife. “I liked
the idea of going up on stage and singing for
people and seeing the joy on their faces. It is
very fulfilling.”
Eventually, the relationship between Lo
and SAGE deepened to a point where RSM
Nelson Wheeler invited SAGE to be a part
of their corporate social responsibility programme.
Working with the charity, the firm
organized a luncheon for 170 elderly people.
“There was an old couple that attended.
Their combined age was more than 200
years old,” says Lo, excitedly. “SAGE told me
that this couple rarely leaves their home due
to their age but they came especially for our
event – I really appreciated that,” he says. It
is that sort of real interaction that Lo enjoys
and the reason he plans to continue singing
for SAGE.
The eye-opener
While many of the original founders of the Leo
Club of Victoria Hong Kong left due to work or
moving overseas, one of the founders, Belle
Lau, thought it important that she stay.
“I think joining the club is a time commitment.
It’s better to be sure you can make that
commitment before you take up the work
duties,” says Lau, an Institute member and
senior associate at BDO. The youth volunteer
arm of Lions Clubs International (a global
service organization committed to bettering
communities around the world), Leo Clubs
operate in 139 countries and have more
than 150,000 members. The Victoria Hong
Kong club was set up in 2008 with just 20
members. The club now has a membership of
around 41, consisting of students and young
professionals.
In 2011, Lau headed the launch of the
club’s landmark initiative, Eyetopia, which
encourages the visually impaired and the
general public to participate in activities
together. In its first year, the programme
introduced visually impaired people to professional
photographers, who taught them
what some might deem an impossible task
for the blind – taking photos. “Even though
they can’t see the actual object, they can imagine
how to create the photo and which direction
to take it. The visually impaired were interested
in the photos they took,” Lau says.
This year Eyetopia paired up the visu-
The project helped
the public
understand that
being imaginative
while visually
impaired is not
“mission impossible”.
PHOTO: SAMANTHA SIN
A PLUS
ally impaired with secondary and primary
school children to paint colourful pictures
cooperatively. Lau helped set up around
20 “art jamming booths” and a fun fair at a
playground in Wanchai. “People may think
they [the visually impaired] visually can’t
paint but, in fact, we realized they have a lot
of imagination.”
The children used their imagination,
too, helping to inspire the visually impaired
to create memorable images. Lau says the
project helped the public understand that
being imaginative while visually impaired
is not “mission impossible.” The club was
awarded the best improvement and project
award from Leo District 303, Hong Kong and
Macao, China that year for the art jamming
Belle Lau
December 2012 43