2025
James A. Handrich Service Leadership Endowed Fund
Recipients
Students play basketball during the Community Academic Recreational Experience (C.A.R.E.).
The James A. Handrich Service Leadership Endowed Fund (also known as the Jim Handrich Award) was established in June 2007 by HKIS and alumni Desmond Chu ’91 and Kenneth Koo ’79, in honor of Associate Head of School James (Jim) A. Handrich. Jim retired in July 2007 after 24 years with HKIS.
The purpose of this Endowed Fund is to help further the school’s Mission and two Student Learning Results: Self-Motivated Learning and Contributing to Society. The endowed fund allows students to pursue personal projects to serve the community.
In 2022, the program was expanded to include younger students in Middle School and Upper Primary. The program also expanded to support partnerships with NGOs, instead of only personal projects, to help students understand the lasting impact of ongoing NGO work. This year, over 30 students received a grant for work on service projects–more than three times the number of projects in previous years!
Interested in supporting the James A. Handrich Service Leadership Endowed Fund? Please contact sphillips@hkis.edu.hk.
Together We Shine Readathon
Nicholas Lin ‘33
Nicholas invited Upper Primary students to visit local schools that his family has partnered with over the years. HKIS students were requested to bring a book to donate to the local school and spend an afternoon reading together with their students. The fund supported school buses to transport Upper Primary students to local schools on three Early Release Days in February, March, and May.
C.A.R.E. Community Day
Middle School Service Club and Grade 8 Ambassadors
C.A.R.E. stands for Community Academic Recreational Experience and is a Middle School Service Club project. The Club partnered with Grade 8 Ambassadors to host 60 children from Christian Action at the HKIS campus with a fun day of sports and activities. The grant supported a pizza lunch on that day.
CPR Certification for Domestic Helpers
Chloe Lee ‘26, Clair Jun ‘26, Derin Seckiner ‘26, Izzy Scott ‘26, and Alison Cheng ‘28
Students from the Migrant Power student club partnered with NGO EmpowerU to bring a 4-hour Basic Life Support Course for Migrant Domestic Workers (MDW). Their purpose was to provide a resource that is largely unaffordable to MDWs and empower them with life-saving skills and knowledge to respond to an emergency. The grant supported the course cost for 48 MDWs.
Winter Warmth Project
Avi Shekhar '27, Ardan Li '27, Anisha Grover '28, and Zachary Lai '27
The Winter Warmth project aims to provide students in rural Henan with winter clothing that allows them to continue their education safely even in colder conditions. This project is part of Vision Village, a student-run initiative to support students in local, underfunded schools in Henan, China. The grant supported the purchase of 120 winter jackets.
Run for Good: Two Projects
FUNDRAISING PROJECT
Candace Chang ‘25 and Jiho Lee ‘26
The HKIS Run Club used their race organizing skills and involvement in the running community to host fundraising events for chosen beneficiaries and bring the HKIS community together to contribute to society. The grant funded event sponsorship for race materials so that entry fees could go directly to the beneficiary.
COACHING PROJECT
Oliver Wong ‘26, Aditya Kamat ‘26, Matthew Lam ‘26, and Brayden Wu ‘26
Students from the HKIS Run Club partnered with NGOs RunOurCity and Kellett Outreach Program to host track and running workshops for underserved children and children with special needs. The fund supported training equipment and transport to training venues that were difficult to get to on time after school.