Community & Charities
Education and Training
Jockey Club extends support for Life-wide Learning Fund with further HK$280m commitment
20/11/2015
Since 2002, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Life-wide Learning Fund has enabled more than two million students at all levels from 940 local primary and secondary schools to participate in a wide range of learning activities outside the classroom, enhancing their whole-person development. The Club’s Charities Trust has now made a further donation of HK$277 million to extend this popular and successful initiative for three more years until 2018, taking its total contributions to date to over HK$911 million.
The announcement was made by the Club’s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung and Permanent Secretary for Education Mrs Marion Lai today (20 November).
“The Club has put strong emphasis on youth development over the years,” Mr Cheung said. “We hope The Hong Kong Jockey Club Life-wide Learning Fund will continue to enrich students’ other learning experiences and unleash their unlimited potential. We will pay close attention to the needs of young people and review our strategic focus in a timely manner to ensure that resources are used effectively to promote their whole-person development. ”
The new phase of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Life-wide Learning Fund will carry the theme “Fit to Learn, Serve to Learn”. By enabling students from financially-needy families to enjoy the same extra-curricular learning opportunities as others, it will help them develop positive attitudes and acquire the five essential learning experiences: Intellectual Development, Moral and Civic Education, Community Service, Physical and Aesthetic Development and Career-Related Experiences. It is expected to benefit some 200,000 financially-needy primary and secondary students a year. More information is available at http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/life-wide-learning/jc-fund/index.html.
In addition, the Fund will focus on encouraging students to develop a healthy lifestyle through physical activities, as well as actively participate in community services. This exemplifies two of the Club’s current strategic focus areas, namely supporting sports projects that can create lifelong positive values and hopes, and channelling youth energy into social innovation.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Life-wide Learning Fund encourages students to learn through different kinds of extra-curricular activities, of which sport is one focus area. Keith Wan and Liu Yu Po, Form Six and Form Five students respectively at The Church of Christ in China Kei Chi Secondary School, had their first taste of rugby three years ago, and were immediately excited by it - but as they were already members of the track and field team, the expensive rugby equipment would have been a burden for them. “I am very grateful to The Hong Kong Jockey Club Life-wide Learning Fund,” Wan said. “Without the Fund, it would have been difficult for me to pursue an interest in rugby and benefit from the personal development it has given me. Now I can focus on rugby without worry.”
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Life-wide Learning Fund was set up in 2002 with Trust funding of HK$141 million for an initial five years, covering primary four to secondary three students. In the light of its success, the Trust made a further donation of HK$260 million in 2007 to extend the scheme until 2012, with wider coverage to benefit needy students at all levels of primary and secondary schools. Another HK$240 million grant from the Trust in 2012 enabled the Scheme to be extended for three more years.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class horse racing operator and Hong Kong’s largest community benefactor, as well as one of Asia’s most prestigious membership clubs. Operating as a not-for-profit organisation, the Club allocates its surplus funds for charitable and community projects. In 2014/15, its donations reached a record $3.87 billion, and in the last decade alone it supported over 1,300 projects. The Club is also Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer, contributing a record HK$20.05 billion in 2014/15. With about 70% of its revenue given back to society every year through donations and tax contributions, The Hong Kong Jockey Club delivers a significantly higher return to the community than any other racing and/or sports betting organisation in the world. As a socially responsible organisation, the Club helps Government combat illegal betting and advocates responsible gambling. The Club is also one of Hong Kong’s largest employers with over 24,000 full-time and part-time staff. Committed to global excellence and giving back to society, the Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong.
