On July 30, the HKTA Foundation hosted an 18-hole fundraising event in association with The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club, with net proceeds, under the guardianship of its board of directors, going towards assisting programmes and projects that benefit the less privileged and under-resourced members of the local community. The support of The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club was instrumental in the running of the event, as they donated all the tee times and oversaw all the golfing logistics, such as organising tee-off, golf cart provisions, and score keeping to name a few. The club also provided food and beverage accommodation for all the participants. Weather-wise, looming grey skies were a constant threat to proceedings but, in the end, it concluded with room to spare and with the tournament having observed all the necessary social distancing protocols.
“I want to thank Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club’s Community Outreach Programme Coordinator, Dr. Jack Wong, and all the sponsors and donors. We really appreciate your generous contributions to the HKTA Foundation. We are encouraged and motivated by your support. Your donations do make a difference and we are immensely thankful for your continued endorsement in our community engagement endeavors. The road ahead is always challenging, but it will be rewarding,” remarked HKTA President, Philip Mok.
HKTA Foundation Chairman, Dr. Kelvin Inge, echoed similar sentiments, “I’m delighted to see HKTA Foundation receive such tremendous support, especially from CBGCC, whose dedication and generosity cannot be overemphasized. We are thrilled that this year’s event has raised in excess of $750,000, which will give us the opportunity to bring tennis to more young schoolchildren, the underprivileged, the elderly, the handicapped, and the under-resourced. Giving them avenues to find joy and purpose in their daily experiences will hopefully motivate and enrich their lives as well.”
Sports can make a real difference for the disadvantaged and financially constrained, providing them not just an avenue to stay physically active, but also making a positive impact by fostering individual growth and social interaction, while acquiring life skills and nurturing a positive mind-set to help them find success in society. Through the provision of access to sports training to the disadvantaged, under resourced and those with special needs, the HKTA Foundation seeks to offer opportunities to further the educational and personal development of these groups in a fun and active way.
In particular, sports can be extremely valuable for children. Due to its ever-growing reach and popularity in society, it is a foundation for positive values and sports participation can also help with stress relief, while increasing feelings of physical and mental well-being. Experiences on and off the court create unique circumstances in which they can learn to improve as player, as well as becoming a better person, from their success and failure. Moreover, character building and moral principles are formed through fair play, so children who are actively engaged in sports can be good role models for their peers from school or neighborhood. The sporting arena is often ground zero where kids can develop an understanding of the virtues associated with respecting authority, rules, teammates, and opponents.
HKTA’s largest community programme is ‘HKJC Tennis Rocks’ in partnership with the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. It allows us to deliver coaching to students in over 50 primary schools across fourteen key districts, not to mention programmes for teachers to teach mini tennis, students at special needs schools, and retirees over the age of 55.
We also work with the Hong Kong Down Syndrome Association, Heep Hong Society, the Learning Support Service Association (LSSA) and the Hong Kong Society for the Deaf that allows us to bring sports programmes to individuals with special learning or educational needs, who often lack the same opportunities compared to mainstream students. One of our most recent initiatives, a collaboration with the Hong Kong Federation of Handicapped Youth (HKFHY) succeeded in introducing a wheelchair tennis programme to Hong Kong for the first time. To date, our reach has exceeded 6,000 beneficiaries.
To receive notifications for the latest news and updates, please follow the HKTA on Facebook or Instagram. For enquiries regarding our Community and Social Responsibility programmes and activities, please contact:
Miss Andrea Chan
Tel: 2794 1792
Fax: 2338 7749
Email: andrea.chan@tennishk.org
