Operation Santa Claus
Operation Santa Claus (OSC) is an annual charity campaign jointly organised
by South China Morning Post (SCMP) and Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK). The campaign seeks to raise funds and awareness
for Hong Kong charities over the winter festive season.
In
2008 Operation Santa Claus celebrated its 21st anniversary. From a modest beginning in 1988, Operation Santa Claus
has raised more than HK$110 million in cash, goods and services, which helped over 80 needy groups in Hong Kong. Santa Hash
is proud to have been supporting Operation Santa Claus since the beginning, the first event being held on 18 December 1988.
The Campaign is a community event, and throughout December, corporations,
clubs, schools and individual donors, the elderly and children, all united under the banner of the annual charity appeal for
the city’s needy by organizing a series of creative fundraising activities.
Media Coverage
Articles are published daily in SCMP and aired by RTHK’s Radio 3
for a number of weeks in advance of the Christmas holiday season. The first weeks mainly focus on introducing the 18 selected
beneficiaries, while the whole month of December covers the series of donor fundraising events as well as beneficiaries issues.
Primary coverage ran in the City Section of SCMP, but news can also be
reported in various sections of the newspaper, including the front page, Editorial, Business, Education, Sports and Features.
The Young Post may also publish the various creative and fundraising activities organised by some of the participating schools.
The online edition of SCMP - scmp.com - features a special Operation Santa Claus section, showing all SCMP coverage on the
campaign.
The official website (http://osc.scmp.com) for Operation Santa Claus was re-designed for OSC 2007. The website is updated on a daily basis during Operation Santa Claus,
providing first-hand information, news and photos relating to the campaign. It also includes podcasts and vidcasts. OSC 2007
collected over HK$309,000 in on-line donations via its website.
With
the great support of OSC sponsors, like MTR Corporation, Pacific Coffee, Quality Health Services, Sino Group, Starbucks and
Wellcome Supermarkets, over 30,000 OSC bilingual leaflets and 25,000 postcards were distributed to the public.
Some of the OSC events are also covered by the local newspapers, magazines
and TV.
2009 Beneficiaries
Children & Young People:
- Baptist
Oi Kwan Social Service
- End Child Sexual Abuse Foundation
Community:
- Operation Dawn
Elderly:
- Suicide Prevention Services
- Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary Elderly Home
Environment:
- WWF HK
Medical Issues:
- Hong Kong Youth Arts
Foundation
-
Little Life Warriors Society
Physical & Mental Disabilities:
- Autism Partnership
- Families of SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) Charitable Trust
- Nesbitt Centre
- Po Leung Kuk
- The Intellectually Disabled Education and
Advocacy League Limited (IDEAL)
SANTA HASH
2009
The combined chapters of Hong Kong’s 13 separate Hash House Harrier running clubs will once again hold
a “Santa Hash” in support of Operation Santa Claus.
“Santa Hash 2009”, organised by Free China H3, will take place on Saturday
05 December 2009 at Sheung Ning Playground, Hang Hau.
SANTA HASH 2008
Last year, Santa Hash raised HK$78,220 for Operation Santa Claus.
A write
up on the day, courtesy of the SCMP, can be found here.
A write up on the day, courtesy of the Wanchai
Hash Trash, can be found at the link below: