Take as an example the elderly centre with which the DSD Volunteer Team has been working for more than 10 years, during which the volunteers have never failed to provide services for the residents. Keenly aware of the needs of the elderly, the volunteers organised regular handicraft classes in which they talked to the elderly, became close friends with them and got to know more about their lives. During the epidemic, the volunteers specially made a “Cognitive Impairment Training Gift Box” and videos about brain exercises, enabling the elderly to engage in cognitive training at home on their own. These efforts fully demonstrated the volunteers’ love and genuine concern for the elderly.

What sets the DSD Volunteer Team apart is that many of its members were merely participants at first but as they embodied to the joy and meaning of voluntary service, they took on the role of event organisers. Among those who have such an experience is Mr Tim Fan, Senior Technical Officer, who originally joined the Volunteer Team simply because he loved to photograph people’s delighted smiles. He has now become the Volunteer Team’s convener responsible for organising STEM workshops for underprivileged children and those from ethnic minorities to arouse their interest in the construction industry. Similarly, Ms Ginny Tsui, Executive Assistant, who originally joined the Volunteer Team simply because she liked helping children, has now engaged her entire family in voluntary service. Her motto is “Only by addressing the needs of the people you serve and caring for them at all times, can you find the true meaning of voluntary service.”

DSD also attaches great importance to the continuity of the spirit of volunteerism, actively encouraging its working partners with professional skills such as project consultants and contractors to form volunteer teams to serve the community. For example, a team of volunteers helped village residents to clear their drains to prevent flooding before the rainy season; another project team, upon learning that visits to a hostel for people with special needs near a construction site had to be suspended during the epidemic, helped the hostel residents and their families to chat online during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

In recognition of their commitment to promoting a culture of volunteerism, DSD was awarded the “Hong Kong Volunteer Award” in the Corporate & Non-Commercial Organisation category and Outstanding Collaboration Project, whereas at the Construction Industry Volunteer Recognition Ceremony 2022, one of its volunteer team was presented with the “Excellence in Construction Industry Volunteering Individuals” (Gold Award) and “Excellence in Construction Industry Volunteering Project” (Silver Award), and another team responsible for the project “Upgrading of Cheung Chau Sewage Treatment and Disposal Facilities” was given the “Annual CISVP Corporate Award for Activeness” (Silver Award) in the Small and Medium Enterprise Group.

While awards are welcome recognition for the Volunteer Team’s years of hard work, they remain steadfast in striving to provide target groups with the services and care they need, as well as empowering the needy with determination. For the volunteers, there is nothing more fulfilling than helping others and seeing the heartfelt smiles on their faces.