Share
(From 5th right), Nicholas Sallnow-Smith, Chairman of The Link Management Limited, Christine Fang, Chief Executive of The Hong Kong Council of Social Service, George Hongchoy, Chief Executive Officer of The Link Management Limited and representatives of the nine recipient organisations of The Link Together Initiatives take group photo.
As seen from the map, 10 community projects sponsored by The Link Together Initiatives will provide extensive services to a wide range of communities in 12 districts throughout Hong Kong. The projects share the Initiatives’ total budgeted fund of HK$10.42 million for financial year 2013-2014.
|
The Link Together Initiatives (“the Initiatives”) was launched by The Link REIT (“The Link”) in January 2013 to provide support in the communities that The Link serves and to further the company’s vision of serving and improving the lives of the people around us. Through charitable donations, The Link supports non-profit organisations to promote community projects, filling service gaps that currently exist.
After careful consideration, the Initiatives’ Selection Committee and project consultant WiseGiving, an initiative of The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS), selected 10 community projects from nearly 150 eligible applications. With the endorsement of The Link’s Board of Directors, the Initiatives’ total budgeted fund is HK$10.42 million for financial year 2013–2014.
The 10 awarded community projects will provide services to seniors, children and youth in 12 districts of Hong Kong, including Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, which will each receive services through four projects, and Kwun Tong and Shatin, which will each receive services through three projects. The total number of beneficiaries is expected to be approximately 100,000 people. For project details, please refer to the attachment.
The Link is holding a press conference today to announce the awardees and their projects. Nicholas Sallnow-Smith, Chairman of The Link Management Limited, George Hongchoy, Chief Executive Officer of The Link Management Limited, and Christine Fang, Chief Executive of the HKCSS, will officiate at the ceremony. George Hongchoy, who is also the Chairman of the Initiatives’ Selection Committee, signed the grant agreements with the representatives of the nine beneficiary non-profit organisations.
Nicholas Sallnow-Smith said, “The Board of Directors of The Link strongly support The Link Together Initiatives’ vision and values. We are pleased that the 10 awarded projects will provide unique and targeted services that fill needed service gaps in 12 different districts of Hong Kong.
“When we launched the Initiatives there was an overwhelming response, and we received nearly 150 applications. Each proposed project was distinct and commendable, and it was not easy to select the finalists. In addition to providing financial support, The Link will assist the awardees in different ways, such as providing free promotion venues, inviting support from tenants and making our staff available to serve as staff sponsors of each project to help with the logistics of service delivery. Our staff will no doubt benefit from working on these meaningful projects,” Nicholas Sallnow-Smith continued.
The Link Together Initiatives’ primary focus is on supporting the elderly, children and youth. The Link will contribute an amount up to 0.25% of its net property income of the previous financial year to the Initiatives, and each approved project will have a maximum budget of 30% of the total fund (approximately HK$3 million). The Initiatives welcomes applications from non-profit organisations that are registered under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance.
The schedule for the new round of applications will be announced in the future. For the latest information on The Link Together Initiatives, please visit: www.thelinkreit.com/linktogetherinitiatives.
|