ALUMNI MAKING MOVES
Leontine Chuang '93
STRONGER TOGETHER
Leontine Chuang ’93, has a long history of service. In fact, in 2011 she was named Bob Christian Alumna of the Year for her work at the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees, where she advocated on behalf of asylum seekers and refugees arriving in Hong Kong. More recently, she has turned her focus to philanthropy as the CEO of the newly-established American Club Foundation. Read on for more about how the ACF and its partners are helping those in need in Hong Kong.
Leontine Chuang ’93, has a long history of service. In fact, in 2011 she was named Bob Christian Alumna of the Year for her work at the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees, where she advocated on behalf of asylum seekers and refugees arriving in Hong Kong. More recently, she has turned her focus to philanthropy as the CEO of the newly-established American Club Foundation. Read on for more about how the ACF and its partners are helping those in need in Hong Kong.
In the beginning of 2019, I was hired by the American Club to be the CEO of the American Club Foundation (ACF) and to help them realize their goal of making a bigger positive impact on the Hong Kong community.
The ACF’s mission is to harness the resources and goodwill of the American Club community – including members, guests and partners like HKIS – to help address Hong Kong’s social needs. Each member in our community has different resources that they can share – talent, time, treasures or financial donations – and we strongly believe that when we work together our ability to make a difference for those who need our support is amplified.
Over the last two years, the ACF has spearheaded a number of initiatives, getting American Club members and guests engaged in the community through volunteer activities including reading to and mentoring children from under-resourced families, packing food to be distributed to those in need and passing out supplies to the homeless and the elderly. Together with other members of the Hong Kong American community, including HKIS, we formed the Hong Kong Community Recovery Fund, which raised over HK$4 million for 12 local charities running vital programs to help those most in need. The power of the American Club community working together, each individual contributing what they can, has led us to brighten the lives of over 1500 Hong Kongers since our launch in mid-2019.
Our impact would not have been as great if we went about our efforts individually. At a time when Hong Kong is most in need, coming out of two difficult years, we hope that by gathering our network to combine our resources we can make a bigger difference and provide much-needed assistance to countless Hong Kong families. We have a unique platform to bring individuals with different strengths and resources together – which elevates our ability as a group to make a bigger impact on the local community. We are also teaching our children and our peers that giving back takes many forms – whether it be through volunteering, financial donations, or other means.
Going forward the ACF will continue to have different programs that are open to everyone who wants to help – so please follow us on social media (FB and IG @acfoundationhk) or check our website often (www.acfhk.org). Looking forward to connecting with those in the HKIS community who want to give back!
The ACF’s mission is to harness the resources and goodwill of the American Club community – including members, guests and partners like HKIS – to help address Hong Kong’s social needs. Each member in our community has different resources that they can share – talent, time, treasures or financial donations – and we strongly believe that when we work together our ability to make a difference for those who need our support is amplified.
Over the last two years, the ACF has spearheaded a number of initiatives, getting American Club members and guests engaged in the community through volunteer activities including reading to and mentoring children from under-resourced families, packing food to be distributed to those in need and passing out supplies to the homeless and the elderly. Together with other members of the Hong Kong American community, including HKIS, we formed the Hong Kong Community Recovery Fund, which raised over HK$4 million for 12 local charities running vital programs to help those most in need. The power of the American Club community working together, each individual contributing what they can, has led us to brighten the lives of over 1500 Hong Kongers since our launch in mid-2019.
Our impact would not have been as great if we went about our efforts individually. At a time when Hong Kong is most in need, coming out of two difficult years, we hope that by gathering our network to combine our resources we can make a bigger difference and provide much-needed assistance to countless Hong Kong families. We have a unique platform to bring individuals with different strengths and resources together – which elevates our ability as a group to make a bigger impact on the local community. We are also teaching our children and our peers that giving back takes many forms – whether it be through volunteering, financial donations, or other means.
Going forward the ACF will continue to have different programs that are open to everyone who wants to help – so please follow us on social media (FB and IG @acfoundationhk) or check our website often (www.acfhk.org). Looking forward to connecting with those in the HKIS community who want to give back!
Day Camp DeliversThe AFC invited children who live in subdivided housing in Sham Shui Po to the American Club in January 2020 for a day camp which included, rock climbing, tennis, and a pizza lunch.
Helping together Elli Fu, Founder of the J Life Foundation, and Leontine Chuang packing rice with volunteers to be handed out to under-resourced families in Sham Shui Po.