New Restaurant Menus Haven of Hope Love Bags Visit to the Mills QUARTERLY SPRING 2020
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QUARTERLY SPRING 2020 New Restaurant Menus Haven of Hope Love Bags Visit to the Mills QUARTERLY SPRING 2020 COUNCIL EXECUTIVES P. 4 P. 9 Linda Ferguson Chair Usha Casewell Vice Chair Jenny Fearns Co Honorary Secretary Nicola Collins Co Honorary Secretary Patricia Hutton CONTENTS Honorary Treasurer Message from the Chair of Council 3 COMMITTEE CHAIRS The Community Outreach Committee 4-6, 10, 15 Diane O’Hare Activities The Activities Committee 7, 14 Jennifer Lang The Food & Beverage Committee 8-9 Building Manisha Sharma The Library Committee 12-13 Community Outreach General Manager’s Desk 14 Julia Tsao Constitution and Byelaws The House & Garden Committee 16 Usha Casewell The Club 17 Food & Beverage Advertising Rates 2020 18 Linda Ferguson Fundraising & Events New Member List 18 Marilyn Chung Reciprocal Club List 19 House and Garden Discount Benefits Scheme 2020 19 Jenny Fearns Library Club Information 20 Ruth Kan Publicity & Promotion Patricia Hutton Magazine Editor Mahjong Group – Drop in for members Monday 9:30 am – 3:30 pm MANAGEMENT Bridge Groups Betty Simpson Marge Lo Tuesday 9:30 am – 12:30 pm General Manager Donna Doran Tuesday 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm Phoebe Wong Book Group 1 Senior Manager – Gail Buttifant Last Tuesday of the Month 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm Accounts and Administration Book Group 2 Joanne Chan Senior Manager – Melinda Sturges Last Friday of the Month 10:30 am – 12:00 pm Membership and Marketing Craft Day Elaine Lo Executive Assistant Patricia Hutton Every Thursday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Daniel Fung History Group Housekeeping Manager Patricia Hutton Tuesday 2:15 pm – 4:15 pm Peter Lau 7, 21 April & 5 May Restaurant Manager Atta Tsang Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, there are special arrangements for all the interest Assistant Banquet Manager groups. For details, please refer to the weekly e-news or call the Office at 2522-6766. CHAIR OF COUNCIL his year has started as very difficult and challenging for Hong Kong with Covid-19 wreaking havoc in China and throughout the world. TMy heart goes out to the people of Wuhan and Hubei province who found themselves at the epicenter of this new infection. At the time of writing, my heart also goes out to the people of South Korea, Italy, Iran and all other countries that are now battling their own outbreaks. I sincerely hope that by the time you read this message, these new hot spots will have been brought under control and the worst will be behind us. It is a reminder of how inter connected the world has become; disasters that affect one segment of the human community impact us all. The Helena May reacted quickly to this difficult situation by implementing a number of measures to protect the health and safety of our residents, members and staff. In January we introduced a number of precautionary measures. These include providing a hand sanitizing station in the Main Lounge, increasing the frequency of disinfecting public spaces, mandatory daily temperature checks for all staff members and the use of face masks for the food handlers and staff interacting with our members. We have also discontinued the salad, cheese and dessert bar previously available during our luncheon service. Our business has been negatively impacted by these events, but thanks to our loyal and diligent staff we remain open during our regular operating hours. The Helena May is a quiet and calming haven where our members and residents can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner service. Our Library also remains open and is a great source for reading material that members can borrow to take home. We have fiction and non-fiction books for adults and young adults. We also have a large selection of children’s books that will help parents keep their young ones occupied and entertained at home during this difficult time. Recently a friend described herself as a 21st Century Lady Macbeth, a Shakespearean character known for her compulsive hand washing. Even though the reason for the incessant hand washing is different, it is prudent for us all to follow Lady Macbeth’s example; wash your hands before you go out, after you come in and whenever the opportunity presents itself. In between washings use a hand sanitizer. It is through good personal and environmental hygiene that we will gain the upper hand in this fight against the new virus. Hong Kong is a resourceful and resilient community. By the time you read this message I hope that things will be returning to normal. At The Helena May we are looking forward to that and are planning to reschedule many of the events that were postponed in January, February and March to later parts of the year. After all of this is behind us, it promises to be a very busy time ahead at The Helena May and I look forward to seeing you at the club in the coming months! Linda Ferguson Chair of Council 3 THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH COMMITTEE Harmony House Party he last COC event in 2019, the Harmony House Party, took place in the afternoon of 30 December, and the Garden Room resounded with the laughter of visiting families. T The party kicked off with a game of Musical Chairs, where the laughter and running footsteps of children could hardly be stopped. The atmosphere began to liven up with more funny games one after another. After much anticipation, the children were so excited to receive the gifts from Santa Claus (Michael Mak) and took many cheerful pictures together. Every family received a big bag of presents carefully selected by COC while enjoying the good food along with festive music. Besides the visiting families, everyone else also enjoyed the party in the Garden Room a lot, making the room full of harmony, love and joy. Without the thoughtful preparation by the COC members, the humorous MC (John Ling), the support of guest pianist Selina and student volunteers from Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong, the party would not have been so successful and meaningful. This was my first time helping out the Harmony House Party but now I am looking forward to joining again in the coming Christmas. You are most welcome to volunteer or donate money for the gifts. Joyce Poon COC Member 4 THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH COMMITTEE Haven of Hope Hospital Love Bags Project n the morning of 7 December, a number of Helena May members volunteered for the Love Bag Project hosted by the Haven of Hope OHospital (HOH). On that day, after the program briefing by the hospital staff, together with other volunteers from the HOH, we had been divided into small groups and took the coach bus to the assigned visiting homes around the Tsuen Kwan O District. During the visit, the elderly shared their current situations and a few of them recalled their past lives and stories. Before we left each home, we presented the love bags, consisting mainly of food, to them. Though I’m new to the Club and to this Project, I met a few members who have supported this meaningful Project for over 10 years. I hope similar kinds of activities can be organised more frequently and the groups of beneficiaries can be extended. Grace Lam Member I have been a member of The Helena May for at least 15 years. The one thing I love about the club, as opposed to the others, is the active hands on charity work the club does. Since 2007, the club has been supporting the Have of Hope Hospital. Each winter volunteers do home visits to the discharged elderly and distribute necessary winter goods to them. This is a rewarding time for the elderly who often live alone. We interact with them through a social worker and learn a little about their lives. They are so happy to have visitors and are always very hospitable. This year there were just eight volunteers due to the anxious time in Hong Kong. In 2019, the club has donated $15,200 to the Hospital. I hope more members will become active in the wonderful charity work of The Helena May. Tasha Lalvani Member 5 THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH COMMITTEE Mentorship Programme with The University of Hong Kong embers of the joint mentorship programme of The Helena May and the University of Hong Kong (HKU) were Mfortunate to have met on 18 January for our first mentorship gathering of the year. It was close to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan which had subsequently suspended many events and activities even in Hong Kong. What also made that lunch momentous was the sharing by my mentee, Queenie. Queenie is an undergrad in History. She took an interest in the ladies at the turn of the 20th Century. The Helena May offered her a wealth of information to complete her paper. Many of us talked about the structure of The Helena May when we were asked to introduce our history whereas Queenie did it from another perspective – the social aspects of the ladies at the Club. Thanks go to Lady May who put her grand intentions into practice and set up The Helena May for the wellbeing of the girls from England and helped them become fine ladies of the century. Queenie sees The Helena May as both progressive and conservative in promoting ideal womanhood to British women in 1916-1926. She compared the ideal womanhood with that in the Victorian Era (1837-1901). Regarding progressiveness: there were cultural workshops at The Helena May that broadened the women’s sphere. The workshops were about women’s positions during wartime, science and technology, and world issues.