Jo Soo Tang is a woman of many talents. As well as being a mum of three and running Wellness 360 Fairs and her own business as a PR and marketing consultant, she is also chair of the board of the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital Foundation. How she juggles it all is pretty inspiring, but she took time out of her busy schedule to tell us more about the foundation and the upcoming Women of Hope Awards.
Tell us about the HKAHF and your role there.
The Foundation started in 1999 and is supported by the Adventist Hospital. Our aim is to provide medical assistance to the underprivileged community in HK and APAC. I’ve been a volunteer of HKAHF for over 15 years; my principal role as Chairman of the Board of Governors is to manage and to provide leadership to the Board. Because my background is in marketing, I’m also very hands-on running the communications programme and marketing strategy for the foundation, as well as raising money and managing the various funds that we have across the board. These include the Paediatric Heart Fund, Hearing Fund, Eye Fund, Cancer Fund, Otological Service Fund, Orthopaedic Fund and Medical Fund, where the programmes focus on the elderly.
One of the foundation’s biggest events is the Women of Hope awards; what inspired this campaign?
The Women of Hope Award was established in 2014 to recognise Hong Kong’s influential women who tirelessly champion the calls for social justice for women, children and our community, as well as those who astound our city with their ability to create, inspire and offer hope to all – both at home and abroad.
As a mother, wife, philanthropist and entrepreneur, I know finding the right balance is never an easy job, but it is possible in our city. The idea came about after I helped the foundation launch its Gift of Hope silver bracelet – I wanted to recognise inspiring and entrepreneurial women and mums! This year, The Women of Hope Awards lunch will be held on May 19 at the Asia Society to celebrate and honour eight successful women from various industries in Hong Kong.
The WOH awards lunch is a fundraising event. What will the funds be used for?
All proceeds raised from this meaningful event will help further the work and reach of the HKAHF’s Cancer Fund. By helping the sick who do not have the financial means for care we can give them immediate access to PET and CT Scans or MRIs, and also allow them the use of the Adventist Hospital Oncology Centre. The lunch will consist of testimonials from Cancer survivors and a message from the Board of the HK Adventist Hospital Foundation, as well as 8 speeches from our Women of Hope honorees.
What other projects is the foundation working on right now?
Caring for the elderly is very important to us. Since November we have donated $2 million towards cataract operations on elderly patients, which has helped over 200 people so far. We’ve also just launched an Elderly Programme for Dementia, and before the end of the year an Elderly Dental Programme will focus on providing dental checks for the elderly and scaling. This population of our community needs our support and we have been partnering with other NGOs such as Senior Citizens of Home Safety Association, Food Angel and very soon St. James Settlement to collaborate on these programmes.
What can we do to help?
We appreciate all the help we can get, but we are looking for volunteers all the time. Please kindly contact us on foundation@hkah.org.hk to help us spread hope!
Follow them on Facebook and Instagram using the hastags #spreadhope #hkahf
We love sharing stories of women making a difference in and around Hong Kong, take a look at our Living in Hong Kong page for similar stories and inspiration.
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