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Hong Kong’s annual fundraiser, Operation Santa Claus (OSC), was officially launched on Tuesday with an aim of raising HK$11 million (US$1.41 million) this year to support 13 local charities’ projects benefiting children and youth, the elderly and individuals with disabilities and mental health challenges. Under this year’s theme, “Building Bridges”, which calls for using the power of compassion to connect people and inspire collective action for a better community, the campaign will address critical issues such as poverty, health and well-being, education, inclusivity and sustainability. The campaign aims to bring care and hope to communities in need, said the co-founders and organisers Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) and the South China Morning Post at a launch ceremony held at the public broadcaster’s headquarters on Tuesday night. RTHK’s radio controller, Angel Cheng Yuen-mei, said the theme could not be more fitting because “that’s exactly what this campaign has done for decades – building bridges of compassion, generosity and hope across the community”. “We’ve helped connect those who want to give with those who need it most. We’ve told the stories – on air and in print – of resilience and of transformation,” Cheng said. “As Hong Kong’s leading English-language media outlets, we have the privilege and ability to be able to do this. In many ways, we are the bridges too – linking hearts, amplifying needs and inspiring action.” Since its inception in 1988, OSC has raised more than HK$396 million and supported over 365 charitable projects across Hong Kong, benefiting more than 100,000 people. Speaking at the ceremony full of Christmas tunes and colours, the SCMP’s general counsel, Paul Wong, encouraged people to give, even if it was in small amounts at the beginning, and to use generosity as a weapon against isolation and depression. “There’s a scientific connection between generosity and happiness … And also more miraculously, if you give, more love will be generated, a culture of giving will spread across the community, you’ve created a ripple effect of love,” Wong said. Stephen Gollop, chairman of the Hong Kong Football Club’s squash charity subcommittee, praised OSC for helping his group organise the annual all-day Wing Ding charity squash tournament, in which players wear fancy dress while they compete to raise money for OSC. “They helped us a huge amount over the years … with ideas on how to improve things, the ability to have online donations … the whole accounting, the whole business side of things, choosing beneficiaries, so much which would be so hard for us as a small group of people to organise … and it’s a marvellous benefit for us,” Gollop said. “It creates exposure which enables us to then go to corporations and ask them for money.” Representatives from beneficiary NGOs were also at the opening ceremony, including Rocky Chow Sze-ho, executive director of Rugby for Good, a charity that helps ethnic minority, cross-border and low-income families’ youths, who often face language barriers, isolation and loneliness, by teaching them vital life skills, such as mental well-being and social inclusion, through sports. “The support of OSC will directly help us reach 500 young people in Hong Kong, giving them the skills and confidence to connect,” Chow said. “So your support this Christmas is more than a donation; it’s an investment in a more inclusive, connected and happier Hong Kong.” Also present were OSC 2025 ambassadors, former Miss Hong Kong Lisa-Marie Tse and singer Jamie Cheung Tin-wing, who respectively shared heartfelt stories of previous charity experiences and sang to inspire the public to take part in the campaign. Several fundraising events are planned to engage the community, including the “OSC X HKFC 5-a-side Football Tournament 2025” on November 9 with the Hong Kong Football Club, as well as the “School Charity Fun4Funds Challenge”, an interschool fundraising competition to nurture kindness in students. Corporations, schools and supporting organisations will also host activities throughout November and December. For more information, visit OSC’s website, which has been refreshed to make it easier for everyone to lend a helping hand in this season of giving. It has newly added features including information on citywide fundraising events, NGO projects supported by OSC, impact stories, personalised fundraising tools and ways to make a donation online.
