Construction workers in Hong Kong hold a vital role in building a better living environment and work very hard for the prosperity of the city. However, their contribution to society goes beyond that. Many of them, like Mr. Lam Tak Wai, volunteer to help people in need.
Mr. Lam joined the construction industry one and a half years ago as a cement sand mortar worker. He used to actively volunteer in Sham Shui Po with his two friends. Activities included helping local organisations give out lunchboxes. Through volunteering he realised despite the city’s prosperity, a lot of people still need help with different aspects of their lives. Therefore, in 2014, he and his friends founded Whole Family Share Love, a non-profit organisation with no political or religious affiliation. He hoped to help people in need in Hong Kong and ‘pay it forward’ to inspire and influence more people to help others, and eventually benefit even more people in the future.
Whole Family Share Love aims to help the elderly and homeless people in Hong Kong. Three to four times a month, volunteers visit homeless people and those who live in caring homes to provide free haircuts. The organisation also holds birthday parties at the caring homes every two months; and collects and delivers moon cakes and rice, donated by the community, to the elderly in need. It has been more than two years since the organisation was founded and there are now ten to thirty volunteers participating in each activity.
When asked the reason behind providing haircuts services, Mr. Lam stated that he has studied hairstyling in the past, and it is a zero-cost service that everyone needs occasionally. He knows that a lot of elderly people who live in caring homes and homeless people cannot get a haircut because of their physical and financial constraints, so he decided to provide this service on the street and at caring homes.
The group organised another haircutting session for the homeless earlier this year, right before Chinese New Year, and it was very memorable for Mr. Lam. One of the recipients got teary-eyed after receiving a haircut. He thanked Mr. Lam while hugging him, saying, “I am so happy that you can help us.” All of the homeless people were happy and refreshed after their haircuts and Mr. Lam was very pleased that the haircuts he offered helped them get their confidence back and prepare them for their daily lives, as well as their work in the future.
The sincere smile of the recipients is what keeps Mr. Lam motivated. He works six days a week but still insists to visit the caring homes on Sundays. His dedication has moved some of his work colleagues to join him, sometimes even bringing their families along. Some of Mr. Lam’s colleagues even enrolled in hairstyling classes in order to help out with the haircuts sessions. This initiative touched Mr. Lam very much.
Regarding the future, Mr. Lam hopes that more people will become volunteer to bring positivity to society, and attract more people to join Whole Family Share Love, thereby achieving his ideal of “changing lives with your own.”
If you are interested in participating in Whole Family Share Love, please visit its Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/let.us.sharelove) for more details.