Peter Bennett Foundation Aiming to Beat HK$4 Million at Hong Kong Sevens

For the third consecutive year, the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) will partner with the Peter Bennett Foundation to support the Mission Possible campaign at the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2015 (27-29 March 2015).

Launched in 2013, Mission Possible sees the HKRFU provide a 76-seat corporate box to the Peter Bennett Foundation who then tirelessly seeks sponsorship for the initiative, sells hospitality packages to the box and gathers items for an on-event auction to raise much-needed funds for four local charities.

Last year’s campaign raised nearly HK$4 million (over US$516,000) for four deserving local charities.

At the 2015 event – with 100% of monies received again going directly to the causes – the determination is to beat that achievement.

In this 40th year of the Sevens in Hong Kong, the Mission Possible theme is “It takes a village”, recognising that the children in our communities are the responsibility of us all, through the well-known saying "It takes a village to raise a child".

In keeping with the festivities of the Sevens, the village theme will be set in a disco context, making the Mission Possible Box one of the places to be at the Hong Kong Stadium in 2015, with patrons enjoying what is widely acknowledged as the finest weekend of sport and entertainment in Asia, while also making a positive impact on society.

The box will host a group of children from one of the charities for a special party on Saturday morning of the Sevens from 10.00 am to 12.00 noon, as well as visits from prominent guests including the Honourable John Tsang, GBM, JP, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR; Dr Christine Loh, OBE, JP, Under Secretary for the Environment; and Mr Stephen Sui, JP, Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare.

The partners selected by the HKRFU and the Peter Bennett Foundation for Mission Possible 2015 are: Helpers for Domestic Helpers, Food Angel, Kely Support Group and Enlighten – Action for Epilepsy.

Supporters of Mission Possible include the Holiday Inn, which is donating all the food and service for the box, as well as major corporate donors AIG, Wine Shop Asia (fine wines), LIM Advisors, BlackRock, CQS, Double Haven, Crosby, Westpac, Edrington, and Digital Butter (digital sponsor).

Mr Peter Bennett of the Peter Bennett Foundation, said, "Mission Possible is all about bringing people together to further enrich the best weekend of the year, the Hong Kong Sevens, to give back to Hong Kong by raising money and awareness for those working tirelessly to help the least fortunate in our community and home."

The partner organisations that will benefit in 2015 are:

Food Angel is an innovative food rescue and assistance programme launched by the Bo Charity Foundation with a mission of “Waste Not Hunger Not”. The Food Angel team rescues edible surplus food from the local food industry that would otherwise be disposed of as waste. These surplus food items are instead recovered into nutritious hot meals and food packs in two central kitchens and redistributed to deprived communities across Hong Kong. Every day in 2014, Food Angel rescued more than 4,000 kilograms of edible surplus food from going to landfills and served over 4,600 free hot meals and food packs daily to those in need of food assistance. With the funds raised this year, Food Angel will rent additional trucks to collect additional surplus food from donors and redistribute more meals to people in need of food assistance on our waiting list.

Enlighten is an epilepsy-focused, non-medical Hong Kong-registered charity that aims to benefit anyone affected by epilepsy. Enlighten provides a range of complimentary, bi-lingual programmes that raises epilepsy awareness in Hong Kong; supports those indirectly and directly affected by epilepsy; and helps improve their quality of lives. Donations raised by Mission Possible will be used to continue its programmes providing support and care to those affected by epilepsy in Hong Kong and removing prejudice through community education.

KELY Support Group’s mission is to empower young people to reach their full potential. Providing prevention and harm reduction, advocacy and intervention services for Hong Kong’s young people between the ages of 14 to 24, KELY addresses the issue of drug and alcohol abuse through helping vulnerable youth tackle common root causes, such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, boredom and poverty. Donations raised by Mission Possible will help enhance and expand Talk2Me IM, a pilot bilingual WhatsApp counselling service that provides emotional and psychological support for at-risk youth.

Helpers for Domestic Helpers strives to protect and empower domestic workers in Hong Kong by helping them understand their rights and providing advice, guidance, and support, free of charge. Over the years, HDH has assisted thousands of domestic workers in distress with its limited resources. Donations raised by Mission Possible will enable HDH to enhance its capacity and improve its efficiency so that we can protect more people from exploitation and give them a voice.

See also: Pictures from the 2014 Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.