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Every year since 1996, HOPE worldwide has organized the “Volunteers for Seniors Day”.  Normally held two weeks before Chinese New Year, close to 3,000 volunteers take out a day to serve single elderly people who live in Hong Kong’s public housing estates.

One of the services on this day is “Walking the Extra Mile” – a service where volunteers work together to help fulfil the elderly person’s long-time wish.

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Eighty year-old Grandpa To is passionate about painting, but as a young man, he had neither the time nor the resources to learn.  When he retired at 65, he picked up his first paint brush.

Over the past 15 years, Grandpa To has accumulated many wonderful paintings.  His wish was to share them with the world by staging an exhibition of his work.

Peggy Choi and her friends, the volunteers tasked with making this wish come true, found that it was very involved.  They first had to secure a suitable venue,* work with Grandpa To to choose a number of paintings form among hundreds, frame them, hang them, design an invitation, and then promote the event.  All this had to be done while they themselves were busy with full-time jobs.

Thanks to their hard work, perseverance, and sacrifice (Peggy took time off from work in order to prepare for the event), the exhibition opened on January 27 to a crowd of friends, family and well-wishers.  Grandpa To was on the verge of tears.  He could not believe there were people who cared so much to go the “extra mile” to make his wish come true.

For the past 23 years, HOPE worldwide has been helping Hong Kong’s elderly people age healthily and with dignity.  Thanks to past donors and also with the help of volunteers, Grandpa To could beam delight and recall with pride the events of this day.  Please make a donation today to help another elderly person’s wish come true!

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* Thank you to CreativeKids, who graciously lent their studio space to hold the exhibtion.