In organizing the Good Reads for Good Deeds charity campaign, Juven had the honor of sitting down with different individuals involved with NGOs and charities. We want to feature their stories here. Juven hopes that through this campaign, we can build a new model of engagement between charities, organizations and the public.
A volunteer reads a story to curious children
Finding volunteers is often a difficulty for many charities and takes their focus away achieving their organization’s mission and frontline work. Conversely, many people are willing to be volunteers but do simply not know how to get started. HandsOn Hong Kong was born in 2007 with the aim of connecting the needs of the local community with Hong Kong citizens who want to give back through volunteering. Partnering with 90+ NGOs, HandsOn is a public community platform that bridges gaps between causes and volunteers and organizes volunteer activities to serve beneficiaries in all fields.
As the Head of Communications, Catherine drives strategic communications and volunteer recruitment for HandsOn. “One of the most memorable experiences for me was at a Christmas buffet lunch that we organized last year for students with special needs from our partner schools. This has become an annual holiday treat from the students which we stage with a large number of volunteers at HandsOn,” she said.
Catherine hands out a care package to an elderly lady
Last year she attended the lunch for 51 students with intellectual disabilities, supported by 25 caring volunteers. The volunteers assisted students in their wheelchairs to select their food from the buffet, helped them during mealtime, escorted them on and off the bus, sang songs and played games with them. One volunteer even dressed up as Santa to hand out gifts. It was an experience that the students and volunteers both thoroughly enjoyed. “I felt that it was like the perfect way to celebrate the season of giving,” Catherine said with a smile on her face.
Through the work Catherine and her team at HandsOn Hong Kong do, they see that local citizens are incredibly caring and very willing to provide help when given the opportunity. However, many people struggle to find a channel for this generosity and kindness.
Volunteers preparing to visit the needy
As an avid reader, Catherine reads every night before bed and usually goes through several books a month. “My favorite types of books are fiction novels and mysteries,” she explained, “I find reading to truly be a joy and a privilege. It is a wonderful way to unwind, to escape for a while and forget about the stress pent up during the day.”
Throughout Catherine’s childhood, she has always been taught to show kindness, compassion, and consideration to others. “I live by the belief of treating others as I would hope or expect to be treated myself,” she said. Working at HandsOn Hong Kong has been a wonderful way for her to channel this sense of compassion, with a team of nine staff working year-round support other charities and meaningful causes.
Catherine strongly supports “Good Reads for Good Deeds”. “It is a wonderful platform for Hong Kong’s book lovers to combine their love of reading and literature with a great cause,” she explained. She supports the idea of introducing locals to many of the NGOs that work so hard to support communities in need, while at the same time recognizing donations with treats and discounts for books and benefits! “Good Reads for Good Deeds” is a wonderful opportunity for the public and especially book enthusiasts, to make their good intentions a reality and give back to the local community!” She concluded. https://juven.co/handson/donate
https://www.handsonhongkong.org
Juven builds integrated organization software that empowers charities, companies, associations and clubs of all sorts to build, engage and grow community. We believe that organizations should have access to beautiful, intuitive and reliable tools to create greater impact.
