Link Asset Management Limited (Link), the manager of Link Real Estate Investment Trust (Link REIT) announced today (Tuesday) that “Link Together Initiatives”, its flagship charity and community engagement programme, will disburse $18 million in financial year 2022/2023 in an effort to reconnect people in the community during the recovery period from the pandemic.

Nicholas Allen, Chairman of the Board of Link, said, “After three years of battling the virus, it is more important than ever to rebuild social connectivity, as people have been longing for face-to-face interaction. By sponsoring meaningful projects and engaging more deeply with our NGO partners, Link strives to create a platform leveraging its extensive network and to bring together business partners, tenants, employees, shoppers and local residents to create social cohesion and spread positive vibes for the greater good of the community.”

Among the nine projects Link Together Initiatives is supporting in financial year 2022/2023 which will commence in October, three projects are new and have been selected to spread positivity to the wider community and bring different groups of people together to make a difference amid the trying times:

1. “Live The Vision – Visually Impaired Professional Life Coach Training cum School Collaboration Project” by the Ebenezer School and Home for the Visually Impaired – provides life coaching training to visually impaired youth to expand their career options and develop positive attitudes, with the trainings taking place in schools.
2. “Animal Assisted Intervention Service Programme” by Hong Kong Saving Cat and Dog Association – trains a new generation of canine service leaders to bring trained rescued dogs into schools and the community to help relieve stress and enhance emotional well-being.
3. “ESG Leadership Training Programme” by The Jane Goodall Institute Hong Kong – cultivates university students to become environmental, social and governance (ESG) leaders, with the hope of making Hong Kong a more sustainable city.

In addition to these three new projects, Link will continue to support six NGO partners to expand their projects’ coverage and deepen their social impact by making effective use of Link’s extensive property network and resources.

These projects include Bo Charity Foundation’s “Food Angel – We Link We Share Programme”, which Link is supporting for the seventh consecutive year. This long-running project collects surplus food at Link’s 39 fresh markets and 15 shopping centres and operates pop-up stores in Link’s malls to raise public awareness of food waste reduction. Link is also strengthening its partnership with Environmental Association for “Nature LINK 2023” project, which will add three more butterfly gardens, as well as InspiringHK Sports Foundation for its “SportsLINK Community Project”, which will extend professional long-distance running trainings from five to eight districts surrounding Link’s properties. Both of these projects will continue to encourage participation from neighbourhood residents to deepen their sense of belonging to the community.

Link is entering its fourth year as the premier corporate sponsor of Arts’ Options’ “Transformational Multi Performing Arts Programme for Golden Agers”, which will continue to provide senior citizens with professional theatre training and performance opportunities to allow them to stay connected with the community. Link will also remain a sponsor of Kwun Tong Methodist Social Service’s “Project Inclusion: Building Miracle Jobs” and Shanghai Smiles Foundation’s “Vocational Education Project (Estate Management)” to empower disadvantaged youth to acquire skills and prepare them for future careers.

In addition to these nine projects, Link continues to nurture future leaders through its ‘Link University Scholarship”, which supports first-generation university students.

Established in 2013, Link Together Initiatives aims to advance sustainable development in the communities served by Link. Each year, Link contributes an amount of up to 0.25% of its net property income from the previous financial year to support charitable organisations with causes related to youth empowerment, active ageing and resource management. Since its launch and including the commitment for 2022/2023 projects, the programme has committed $123 million to projects covering all 18 districts of Hong Kong.

Details of the nine sponsored projects are listed in the Appendix.

High resolution pictures can be downloaded here.

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About Link

Link Real Estate Investment Trust (Hong Kong stock code: 823), managed by Link Asset Management Limited, is the largest REIT in Asia, and a leading real estate investor and asset manager in the world. Listed in 2005 as the first REIT in Hong Kong, Link has been 100% held by public and institutional investors and is a Hang Seng Index constituent stock. From its home in Hong Kong, Link owns and manages a diversified portfolio including retail facilities, car parks, offices and logistics assets spanning China’s Beijing, Greater Bay Area (Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shenzhen), and Yangtze River Delta centred around Shanghai, the UK’s London and Australia’s Sydney and Melbourne. Link seeks to extend its portfolio growth trajectory and grasp expansion opportunities in different markets in pursuit of its medium-term target Vision 2025.

For details, please visit https://www.linkreit.com.