Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival plots a charitable course

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October 28, 2009 - A ceremony held today (Wednesday) at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York (HKETO) dished out US$7,500 of charity donations to three community organizations. This sum of money was raised from a charity race held early this summer at the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival.

The three Charity Boat Race participants and their designated choice of charity recipients are: DCH Auto Group - Students Against Destructive Decisions; HSBC Bank USA N.A.- Chinatown YMCA Children's Services; Shanghai Commercial Bank Ltd. - Chinese American Association of N. Hempstead.

Presiding at the ceremony, Director of HKETO Monica Chen, said, “What started out as a primary vehicle to promote Hong Kong, the Hong Kong dragon Boat Festival in New York now serves a wider and more enriching purpose – as a benefactor to New York City’s various charities.

“Over the last nineteen years, proceeds from the Charity Race, exceeding $170,000, has been donated to more than 50 charitable organizations.

“The strenuous efforts of the organizer, in particular, Henry Wan and his dedicated team, and the volunteers in continuing the festival for 19 long years, deserve our admiration. The festival has not only grown in size and become socially significant, it is now a melting pot whereby citizens in the diverse community of this city embrace each other in an expression of love and care.”

The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York, an annual, multi-cultural celebration and sporting event, is the largest multi-cultural Festival in New York and the biggest Festival of its kind in the U.S. It has attracted a diverse, multi-cultural audience of more than 50,000 attendees from throughout North America. With more than 150 well trained teams involving more than 1,500 participants competing from across the U.S. and Canada.