On Sunday, February 4, close to three thousand volunteers took part in the HOPE worldwide Volunteers for Seniors Day. They visited single elderly people living in Hong Kong’s public housing estates and also those in an elderly home. Some volunteers cleaned up homes. Others performed simple assessments checking for early signs of dementia, following up with those who had been identified with a high risk for falls. Still others spent the day helping some of the elderly people’s wishes come true.

We have held this day of service for the past twenty-two years. Besides the number of volunteer hours clocked and the number of elderly people served, what more can be said about the impact such a day as this could have?

Here is one story from that day.

Jessica Yuen, her husband and their two young boys signed up to visit the elderly home we had arranged for on this day. To break the ice and bring in a festive air for the upcoming Chinese New Year holidays, they brought along ink, brushes and red paper to write traditional holiday greetings for the residents. While there, they felt drawn to this one particular elderly man. Jessica found out that this man used to run his own dim sum restaurant. Menus in such older restaurants were always written using brush pens. Knowing this elderly man would have beautiful brush pen writing, Jessica asked if he would write something for them.

“The old man hesitated for a moment, then with shaky hands picked up the brush. He took a deep breath, placed the brush on the paper and wrote the words ‘BLESSING’ and ‘LUCK’ for us. His hesitant look suddenly turned to a satisfied smile.”

He then asked for another piece of red paper. This time he wrote, ‘SERVICE TO OTHERS’.

I thanked him repeatedly. Later, I took his masterpiece and showed it off to all the other volunteers.

This was the the most precious gift I had ever received in all my years as a volunteer.

The very next day we received news from the social worker at the elderly home that the man had been admitted to the hospital that morning. He passed away a few hours later. When his wife and son came to collect his belongings, they asked the social worker to let the volunteers know they had brought great joy and happiness to their husband and father on his last day on earth.

Another story involved volunteers helping an elderly man who was severely sight-impaired getting fitted for glasses, giving him hope that he could continue to live independently. In another instance, an elderly woman on public assistance was on the verge of giving up on having a set of working dentures. She was referred to our dental centre by volunteers and will be seen by one of our experienced dental consultants. In yet another story, an elderly couple wrote a letter of thanks to volunteers who cleaned their home to usher in the Year of the Dog.

We are sure there are other stories of hope from this year’s Volunteers for Seniors Day. Few will be as dramatic as Jessica’s encounter. However, at the very least, on this one day, volunteers who gave their time brought warmth and laughter to hundreds of elderly around Hong Kong. Companies who sponsored the goods in the lucky bags contributed to the well-being and joy of the elderly. And the elderly people who were visited? They received care and respect, which too often are lacking in this frantically busy city. These stories remind us not to underestimate the power of one - one day of service, one chance encounter, one wish fulfilled, or one visit.