Family outings may not seem like anything extraordinary to many people in Hong Kong, but for low-income families, they are a rare treat – the costs of transport and eating out can easily exceed their weekly food budget! That’s why it was such a delight for a group of families from North Point to be invited to join the Family Environmental Day, sponsored by Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofAML) and the Asia Society. Parents and kids alike were all smiles as they learned to make recycled paper, decorated bookmarks with dried flowers and joined creative forces to design ‘Home Green Home’ posters. Other highlights of the day included starting a take-home herb garden in converted water bottles and racing through a maze built from a variety of recycled materials.
Each family that participated was paired with a BofAML volunteer to guide them through the activities and make sure maximum fun was had by all as they learned about caring for the environment. By lunch time, everyone had worked up an appetite and eagerly tucked in to the yummy hot dogs, fish balls, pizza, ice cream and much more. Hope of the City is grateful for BofAML's generosity, not only for planning this joyful family event but also for covering all the costs for the families.