In an unprecedented effort, the collaboration of the local tennis community has raised in excess of a quarter of a million dollars at the "Tennis For Sichuan" charity event organized by the HKTA last Sunday. However, kudos must go to all the players, coaches, helpers, and especially the Chinese Recreation Club, South China Athletic Association, and the Craigengower Cricket Club for providing the tennis facilities for the occasion.

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The entire proceeds collected will go towards the Hong Kong Red Cross China Relief Fund.

"Our hearts naturally go out to all those suffering in Sichuan. At the same time, I am extremely pleased to see the way in which the tennis community here can get together to make such a fundraising endeavour a reality. Though not substantial in terms of the big picture, the quarter of a million we raised will hopefully contribute in some small way to Sichuan's long and arduous rebuilding process up ahead," said HKTA Hon. Secretary, Mr. Joel Ho.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to again extend a heartfelt thanks to CRC, SCAA, and CCC for making their courts available, and all the donors, coaches, players, and volunteers who had a hand in making Sunday's event a possibility," he added.

HKTA General Manager, Mrs. Janet Hardisty, echoed similar sentiments. "We were overwhelmed by the generosity of so many coaches and top players who donated their time so willingly. We made well over our target, and that was possible only because everyone contributed so openhandedly."

"We must acknowledge the gracious support of the three clubs – CRC, CCC and SCAA – and all their tennis-playing members who gave up their courts all day Sunday and also who supported the event so enthusiastically. Also, a special thank you to Yu Hui Tung and Mr. Chan Sui Tong for bringing their Olympic Torches, which attracted many would be photo-takers."

As some of the participants have remarked, rarely would so many former and current players turn up at any one place or time. Stationed at CRC, for instance, were the likes of John Hui, Wayne Wong, Yu Hiu Tung, Brian Hung, Tong Ka Po, Zhang Ling, and Mark Kratzmann, etc (See below for a complete list of coaches and players who have volunteered their time for the HKTA "Tennis For Sichuan" fundraiser).

"Everyone is just trying to do as much as they can to help the people that suffered from the earthquake, and I am sure that for a lot of the coaches, the event on Sunday is just one of many ways that they are doing to contribute towards helping them," said former HK Davis Cupper and ATP Touring pro, John Hui.

According to the website of Hong Kong Red Cross, as of June 4, donations have reached HK$850 million for Quake Relief HSBC. The HKRC plans to utilize the funds mainly in five key areas:

1. Emergency relief materials
2. Medical Support
3. Temporary Housing, Hospital and School
4. Reconstruction
5. Community-Based Disaster Preparedness Programme

In addition, the Hong Kong Red Cross plans to establish a liaison office in Chengdu in order to facilitate the synchronization and deployment of planned rehabilitation projects.

The HKRC reiterated that it would work closely with the Red Cross Society of China headquarters, the local Red Cross in the affected areas, and the relevant local municipals to keep a watchful eye on any imminent changes to the disaster situation. The need to re-evaluate the progress of recovery in various parts of Sichuan on a continual basis was also cited as critical to the long-term sustainability of the rebuilding effort.

In terms of accumulated statistics, since the big one measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale hit Sichuan on May 12, close to 70,000 lives have been lost, with some 20,000 still missing and unaccounted for, while further injuring over 350,000 and displaced 15 million people from their homes.

According to chinadaily.com, in Shaanxi where 1 million people have been forced to relocate, those left homeless and without an income are entitled to a daily stipend from the government of roughly 10 yuan and 500 grams of food. Orphans or the elderly without relatives, and the disabled homeless can receive 600 yuan per month.

We wish Sichuan a swift return to normalcy.

HKTA "Tennis For Sichuan"
1 June 2008
Venues: CRC, SCAA, CCC

List of Coaches and Players:

At CRC:
Coaches		Players
Andres Battad	Ray Kelly	John Hui
Nathan Booth	Derek Ling	Brian Hung
Ross Elliott	Leo Liu	Mark Kratzmann
Johan Filmater	Adrian Montesinos	Tong Ka Po
Graeme Foster	Venant Shum	Wayne Wong
Christiaan Hart	Alistair Todd	Yu Hiu Tung
Elia Hill	Yang Yi	Zhang Ling
Matthew Johnston
At SCAA:
Coaches
Ricky Chan	Lee Chi Fai
Gordon Cheung	Louis Lai
Rikko Cheung	Ian Lau
Terrence Chow	Daniel Lee
Eric Chung	Alan Poon
Hui Wai On	Stephen So
Paul Hung	Yan Kwok Ming
At CCC:
Coaches		Players
Bronson Fung	Lau Shui Ming	Michael Lai
Ip Wing Ching	Paddy Lee	Gilbert Wong
Lam Wai Hung	Ken Li
Pato Lam	Keith Lo
Cyril Lau

Sources
The Hong Kong Red Cross
Over 10,000 injured transferred out of Sichuan (chinadaily.com, 2 Jun 2008)