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From serving the local community after retirement to contributing overseas, Ronald—a retiree with rich life experience—rediscovered the meaning of doing good through exchange and learning. He continued to spread the impact of volunteerism within the community, sharing the power of helping others even after retirement.
Ronald Ho, already passed 65, began volunteering as early as his secondary school years. Since retiring, he has become even more actively involved. Volunteering not only brings him the joy and fulfilment of helping others, but also provides nourishment for his inner self.
Despite his extensive volunteering experience, Ronald still hoped to broaden his horizons by experiencing different cultures firsthand. “I had never tried such ‘ground‑level’ service outside Hong Kong, nor had I engaged in such in‑depth exchanges with local communities,” he said. Determined to explore new ways of serving, he enrolled in JC Volunteer Together—a programme that went beyond conventional volunteering and offered a dedicated growth journey for individuals aged 50 and above.
After completing a series of training sessions and accumulating local volunteering experience, Ronald further challenged himself by applying for the programme’s overseas service journey. During the interview, he demonstrated genuine care for fellow participants, strong communication skills, and the ability to balance diverse needs and perspectives, showcasing clear leadership qualities. He was therefore selected to join 11 other like‑minded retirees from different backgrounds. Together, they embarked on an eight‑day journey to northeastern Sri Lanka for in‑depth exchange and service.
Leading a team of volunteers with rich life experience on an overseas service journey and encouraging reflection and personal growth along the way, presented a key challenge. To support the process, the programme arranged for a culture facilitator from its partner organisation, VolTra, to accompany the team throughout the journey. Beyond providing general logistical support, the facilitator played a vital role in inspiring participants to internalise the impact of volunteering as a driver of personal growth, and to bring this strength back to the community for sustained impact. Prior to departure, Ronald and his fellow participants attended three briefing and training sessions to prepare mentally and to co-create service activities for both Sri Lanka and Hong Kong, enhancing the journey’s meaning and sustainability.
In a simple rural village, Ronald took on the role of planner. Together with his fellow JC Volunteer Together volunteers, he organised a full day of exchange activities on open grasslands. Despite language barriers, the team connected with local villagers through smiles and body language. The experience deeply moved Ronald, reminding him that genuine human connection, when it comes from the heart, can be direct, sincere and warm.
As the crowd gradually dispersed, two local 17‑year‑old boys approached Ronald and invited him for a walk across the grasslands. They shared their hopes of changing their future through education and their dreams of becoming engineers. Seeing the longing in their eyes, Ronald was reminded of his own grandchildren. In that moment, he realised that the life experience he had accumulated over decades could serve as guidance for others. Stepping into the role of a life mentor, he drew on his social experience to advise them that book knowledge alone might not be sufficient, and encouraged them to actively seek internship opportunities and supportive mentors along their journey of growth.
This journey was both about giving and receiving. Along the path of doing good, giving itself proved to be a form of reward. While offering guidance on the grasslands, Ronald also reaped wisdom in the fields. “We originally thought we were there to help others, but in the end, we were the ones learning from them,” he recalled. In an environment that appeared resource‑scarce, local women taught the volunteers how to produce natural compost using materials available in nature. By making use of what was readily at hand, they were able to grow coconuts and bananas without purchasing fertilisers. In this simple farmland, Ronald came to appreciate another philosophy of life—one that values self‑sufficiency, sustainability and making the most of existing resources.
Throughout his decades‑long career, Ronald had been accustomed to staying on the front lines, with little opportunity to slow down and reflect. During the journey, nightly reflection and sharing sessions led by culture facilitator provided volunteers with space for physical, mental and emotional renewal. Each evening, Ronald and his fellow volunteers sat together to reflect on and digest the day’s experiences. Through the facilitator‘s guidance, Ronald moved beyond observing material scarcity and began to reflect more deeply on life’s priorities, filling the emotional gaps left by years of a fast‑paced working life. Inspired by this realisation, the 12 volunteers, upon returning to Hong Kong, drew on their experience and instinct to spot the community’s emotional needs and proactively transformed sharing sessions into “mental support stations”, offering timely space and comfort for those experiencing hardship.
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(Bottom) Ronald said, “The locals don't need to spend extra on fertiliser. They can make the land fertile and self-sufficient simply by working with what nature provides.”
“As long as there is the heart, everyone can do good.”
Since joining JC Volunteer Together, Ronald has left his volunteering footprint across diverse fields. He has served as a teaching assistant in a “50+ painting class” at a charity and helped organise a mini art exhibition. Through training, he also picked up hand‑drip coffee and latte art skills, exchanging techniques with younger generations at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and promoting volunteerism through the aroma of coffee. His journey to Sri Lanka further extended this spirit of service beyond Hong Kong, bringing encouragement to local women and villagers. As Ronald shared, “Our volunteer partners always hold onto the belief of helping others while helping ourselves. We firmly believe that life can influence life.”
As the saying goes, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Beyond witnessing the joy of those they serve, JC Volunteer Together volunteers continue to challenge their own boundaries through service. Like Ronald, they travel to different places with fellow volunteers, broadening their horizons in the second half of life. After completing the programme’s specialised volunteer training, many successfully transform from participants into initiators, proactively collaborating with charities to design community projects and applying their accumulated life wisdom to address social needs. Looking ahead, the programme aims for volunteers to become a key source of support for charitable organisations, working together to benefit more people and alleviate social challenges.
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Did you know?
Au Nga Man says, “I hope that Hong Kong will become an inclusive and prosperous society in which people from different backgrounds can live a fair and equal life.”