“Family is where Love is”: Celebrating 75th Anniversary

“Family is where Love is”: Celebrating 75th Anniversary

Marking our 75th anniversary milestone in 2024, the Society launched a year-long celebration under the theme “Family is where Love is“. This commemorative series honoured our legacy while promoting the enduring significance of family wellbeing and sharing our seven-decade journey with the community.

With the changing times and societal shifts, the structure of “Family” has become diversified, including multi-generational families, single-person households, divorced families, foster families, and long-distance families, etc. Regardless of how the world changes, the Society holds steadfast to the conviction that “where there is love, there is a family”. Love connects every “family” in various forms, which extends beyond blood relatives; as long as you and the members share love, happiness, and mutual care, that is where “family” exists.

75th Anniversary Cocktail Reception - The Society was honoured to have The Hon. Chan Kwok-ki, GBS, IDSM, JP, the Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Mr. Chen Ziming, representative of The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, as officiating guests. Over 200 guests from the political, business, and philanthropic sectors, as well as corporate partners and institutional representatives, joined this milestone celebration.

 

Healthy Family - Creating Happiness Record - Ms. Charmaine Lee, JP, former Director of Social Welfare Department and Dr the Honourable, Tik Chi-Yeun, SBS, JP, graced the occasion as guests of honour. A group of families assembled over a thousand resistance bands to form the character "Family" successfully earning the Guinness World Records™ title for the "Largest Resistance Band Character Formation", aiming to promote awareness of "family health" in the community.

The release of “Hong Kong Family Wellbeing Index 2024” - The "Hong Kong Family Wellbeing Index 2024" was announced and it was our third public survey, with a special focus on examining the family wellbeing of carers. It calls for the concentration of resources to support an estimated 260,000 "Old and Sole Carers" across Hong Kong.

 

“Homeland” Family Market - Blending together shopping and recreation elements, the “Homeland” Family Market was successfully held. Embodying our ethos of “Love transcends boundaries - connecting families beyond limits”, this event engaged over 2,800 participants in crafting cherished family moments.

“Family First” Sharing Session - Two thematic sharing sessions were hosted to explore contemporary family dynamics, featuring the themes of “The Two Generations in Sync” and “Gen-Y, Happy Marriage”. Through dialogues with prominent guests, the sharing sessions demonstrated how family members could contribute to family wellbeing through their respective roles.

“Home Sweet Home” Ice-Cream Truck - Complementing summer's warmth with free frozen treats, the event held in Causeway Bay and Mongkok created shared sweet moments for families.
The 23rd Peer Mediation Project Recognition Ceremony - We were honoured to have Mr. Paul Lam, GBS, SC, JP, the Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, as our guest of honour. The ceremony recognised peer mediators and participating schools advancing harmonious campus culture, featuring experience and insight sharing by outstanding peer mediators.
Research Release cum symposium on “Divorced Family Support Services” - Attended by over 300 social welfare and education professionals, it featured Hong Kong's inaugural research study on "Non-residing Divorced Fathers Research". Findings illuminated challenges faced by different family members during the process of divorce, catalysing cross-sector collaboration to strengthen support for divorced families and non-cohabiting divorced fathers.
Principal Gathering - Focused on “Child Protection in School: A Collaborative Responsibility”, this gathering featured an opening address by Ms. Chan Lai-chu, Assistant Director (Youth & Corrections) of the Social Welfare Department. Our social workers joined school principals and teachers to examine implementation challenges of the “Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance” within educational settings.
Happy Volunteer Day 2024 - Approximately 160 representatives from 11 of our service centres and four corporate partners celebrated collective impact of volunteering through African drumming, laughter yoga, and magic performances.
Elderly Carers Forum - Experts from the social welfare, education, and healthcare sectors explored collaborative approaches to support families on enhancing caring effectiveness. The forum attracted nearly 200 participants and featured winning recipes from the "Support Caregiving - Cooking Good Meals for You" recipe design competition, along with the encouraging phrases for carers.
Film Gatherings for the Elderly - The Society's Elderly Services hosted three gatherings across the territory during June to August. These events brought together over 160 elderly and their carers from 17 home care service centres for cinematic experiences and communal lunches.
Japanese Ikebana Mid-Autumn Workshop - Ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, our elderly service users experienced "Sogetsu flower arrangements" under guidance from instructors of the Sogetsu Teachers' Association (Hong Kong Branch). Using fresh blooms and seasonal produce, participants nurtured inner peace through this meditative art while celebrating the festival spirit.