Sunbeam undertakes numerous exciting events, fund-raisers, group visits and educational activities each year. Read all about the latest news from the world of Sunbeam below.
Safeguarding The Future of the Sunbeam Children's Village
Help us reach our goal to safeguard the future of Sunbeam Children’s Village and protect the lives of the children under our care.
In light of recent changes to legal requirements in Mainland China, the Sunbeam Children's Village recently conducted a fire safety upgrade and building assessment. The findings indicate that due to the age of the Village buildings (over 20 years old), the walls no longer possess adequate load-bearing capacity, nor do they conform to the standards for earthquake resistance in China. Additionally, the fire safety system within the Village requires an upgrade to comply with current safety regulations.
To ensure the continuous operation of Sunbeam Children's Village and to prioritize the safety of the children under our care and our staff, these renovation works must commence as soon as possible. As a result, the Village will need to temporarily close during the summer, while the construction works takes place.
While the exact cost of these essential renovations and improvements to the Sunbeam Children's Village is not yet confirmed, preliminary estimates for the fire safety system and building upgrades are in the region of RMB 1 million.
As we face these significant and unforeseen expenses, we humbly appeal to you, our dedicated and supportive donors, to help us raise the necessary funds to secure the future of the Sunbeam Children's Village and protect the lives of the children under our care.
We are extremely grateful to one of our generous donors who has anonymously agreed to match your donations, up to HK$500,000. With this knowledge, we hope you can appreciate the impact of your contribution and lend your support to this urgent appeal.
pRIZE GIVING CEREMONY 2019
This year Sunbeam Children’s Foundation celebrates 20-years since we first opened our doors to orphans and children in need in China. Over 200 children (most of whom stayed with us for 10 to 15 years) have benefited by growing up in our caring, nurturing environment, where they have access to education, including tertiary education and also good medical care. We have also provided kindergarten service to hundreds of local pre-school children in the area, who live in abject poverty, and fellowship for left behind children locally.
On July 14th 2019 we had a dual celebration - 20-years of our Sunbeam Village in action, and our Annual Prize Giving. It was heartwarming to see many of our Alumni return, most with spouses and their own children, over 70 in total. This included some young people who had been the first residents of our Children’s Village.
Our Alumni, staff and children had worked hard to make this a special day. Visitors received a rather spectacular welcome with “confetti” and balloons.There was a slide show spanning the years of Sunbeam, and speeches of gratitude from some of our children. In addition an amazing array of food had been prepared, special T-shirts for all and thoughtful gifts for the Board of Directors. Long service awards for over 10-years and over 15- years of service were presented to our staff, this represented two-third of our staff.
It was a very happy day for a big happy family.
New Year clothes donation
The traditional Lunar New Year is approaching, and we greatly appreciate Ms. Liang from Guangzhou for donating new clothes, pants and down jackets (left), Ms. Cindy Leung and her friends from Nightingale Club of QE hospital for contributing new scarves and gloves (right) for Sunbeam Children. They are much delighted to wear their new outfit for the Lunar New Year! We wholeheartedly appreciate all our donors for their care, love and generosity towards the Sunbeam children.
Christmas party 2017
On the first weekend of December 2017, over 20 Sunbeam Board Members, supporters and guests visited the Sunbeam Children Village to celebrate Christmas with the children. Despite the cold weather in Baiwan, the guests and the children were filled with joy for the occasion. The children were especially happy to see Santa bearing Christmas gifts! Our thanks to our board member Mr. Patrick Budden for playing a fantastic Santa once again!
ANNUAL ENGLISH SUMMER CAMP 2017
Led by Daren Durkin from The French International School, and with volunteers from Hong Kong, our Annual English Summer Camp was a great success, and enjoyed by all. Activities included sports, creative cooking, IT, art and crafts. The teaching medium was English to help our children’s comprehension and ability to converse in English. Special thanks to all who participated.
Sunbeam raffle 2017 result
New Year Clothing
The Sunbeam Children donned their new clothes and shoes donated by our donors in celebration of the Lunar New Year.
Our heartfelt gratitude to the donors, and we wish everyone A healthy and prosperous New Year of the Rooster!"
Plaque installation in memory of late
Mr. Stanley Lau Chin Ho, SBS, MH, JP
On 10th December 2016, the late Mr. Stanley Lau’s sons, Gary and Ronald installed a plaque at Sunbeam Children’s Village in memory of their father. Sunbeam children show appreciation and gratitude for their donation.
Arts Therapy Programme
"Creative Arts Workshop"
In August and November last year, seven professional art therapists from Expressive Arts Therapists Association Hong Kong (EATAHK) volunteered to spend the weekends at Sunbeam Children's Village, to bring the Creative Arts Workshops for the Sunbeam children, boarders and staff.
Sponsored by Linklaters, the project brings arts knowledge and skills to the children and staff, to help them review and express their emotions through the sense of art. The volunteers kindly contributed their own time to design the programme, and pledged to make a quarterly visits to further develop the programme. The feedback from the two workshops has been very positive and encouraging from both children and staff. Clearly all have benefited greatly from these expressive arts sessions.
We sincerely thank Linklaters and EATAHK for their valuable worthwhile contributions.
In Memory of mr. stanley lau chin ho, sbs,mh,jp
The news of Mr Stanley Lau’s death on 12th June shocked the entire Hong Kong. Only the day before he was still performing a public service, one of many which he selflessly dedicated for both government and industry.
In memory of Mr. Lau his family has turned their grief into a beacon of hope for disadvantaged children in China. They requested friends to make donations to Sunbeam Children’s Foundation, an orphanage in Guangdong Province, in lieu of flowers.
On 10th December 2016, the late Mr. Stanley Lau’s sons, Gary and Ronald installed a plaque at Sunbeam Children’s Village in memory of their father. Sunbeam children show appreciation and gratitude for their donation.
We are very grateful to Mr. Lau’s family.
Prize-giving 2016
Prize-Giving 2016 was an annual joyous occasion, with over 40 of our Alumni returning to celebrate at our Sunbeam Village. Some are now married and brought their spouses and children with them. It was very heart-warming to witness our big family reunited.
box of hope christmas visit 2015
On December 6th 2015 once again Box of Hope and Northern Trust joined hands to bring Christmas joy and special gifts to the children of our Sunbeam Village. Tony Wilson our Vice Chaiman was a very convincing Santa Claus, and young Sunbeam girls were his retinue of “Angels”. Noel Leung made a very lively reindeer. We are grateful to all involved-volunteers and friends!
the english summer camp 2015
The English Summer Camp led by Daren Durkin was once again a big success that was enjoyed by all. Many children say it was the highlight of their year. Twelve volunteers from Hong Kong attended the camp along with eight children. Coutts Giving sponsored the camp. Thank you so much to all concerned.
sunbeam's annual sunbeam prize-giving 2015
Sunbeam’s Annual Sunbeam Prize-Giving was held on July 12th 2015. This very happy day was made all the more special as over 40 of our Alumni returned to visit, with many bringing their spouses and young children. It was a heartwarming experience.
education news
Nine Sunbeam students have graduated from universities, colleges and technical schools during 2015. In September, three more young people will move on to university, and nine others will go to high schools and vocational schools to further their educations.
7 X 7 X 7: David Gething RUNS FOR SUNBEAM
In January 2015 Dr David Gething of Creature Comforts veterinary practice ran 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents. Not only did David complete this amazing feat, but he was also the overall winner of the 2015 World Marathon Challenge. Over HK$170,000 in sponsorship was raised for Sunbeam. Our heartfelt thanks to David and all who sponsored him!
Chinese New Year Clothing Donation
Dr Alexis Suen visited our Sunbeam Village in January 2015 with the Rotarians Club of Kwai Chung, and all involved enjoyed the day. Dr Suen also donated the money to buy new clothing for all our children for Chinese New Year. Thank you so much.
Box of Hope Christmas Visit 2014
In December 2014, Box of Hope, led by Kim Banks-Smith, once again organised all the logistics for our children's Christmas Celebration. Gifts were again sponsored by Northern Trust Bank. Kim and Catherine Bolton of Northern Trust Bank and other colleagues joined the trip, along with Sunbeam committee members and friends. Board member Patrick Budden yet again did a great job as our Santa Claus. We are very grateful to all involved, thank you.