Ladies and Gentlemen

As President of the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club, one of my more pleasant duties is to welcome you to this year's Charity Ball. Annually, this event has grown in both popularity and effectiveness, and it is thanks to your generous contributions that we have been able to enjoy such success, and to share it with the children of the Po Leung Kuk.

As a Club, we’re known for our ability to have a good time, and we’ll be demonstrating those collective talents once again this evening – feel free to join in! But please also feel free to help us with the serious part of the evening, which is the raising of funds to support our scholarship programme.

FCC scholarships have provided access to higher education for a remarkable group of intelligent and hard-working young people; with your support this evening, we will be able to continue that programme and expand the group of students to whom we, in turn, provide support.

In addition, some of the funds raised tonight will go toward our English-language programme at the Po Leung Kuk, providing other students with the skills they need to advance and prosper in the international marketplace that is Hong Kong.

It takes a lot time and effort to make an evening like this possible, and I'd like to acknowledge a number of people; first among them being David Garcia. One of the original co-founders of the Ball, Dave continues to be a driving force behind the scenes each year. He does, however, have a tremendous amount of support, with not only the broad shoulders of Co-Chairman Andy Chworowsky to lean on, but the strong sinews and indomitable spirit of the rest of the Committee members to back him up as well.

And of course, the FCC's General Manager Gilbert Cheng and the fantastic FCC staff have once again risen to the occasion, as have the excellent staff and board members of Po Leung Kuk. Please join me in recognizing and applauding their efforts.

Fill your glass... raise your spirits... put your dancing shoes on...
enjoy the evening. But whatever else you do, don't forget to get out your chequebook and join us in helping to make a difference in the lives of an amazing group of young people.

Sincerely,