Sun Hung Kai Properties : SHKP Reading Club Read to Dream nurtures young reading lovers Sponsors Book Fair visits for over a thousand disadvantaged students for 11th year

Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited's SHKP Reading Club is spreading summer reading joy by sponsoring over a thousand disadvantaged students to visit the Hong Kong Book Fair and bring their favourite books home for eleventh year running. Celebrities and outstanding athletes were invited to share with the students how reading had inspired them in pursuit of their dreams. Moreover, a talk entitled 'Reading on the Journey' will be held by the Club during the Book Fair with four travel veterans, who love reading and writing, sharing their unique travel-with-books experiences.

Celebrities and athletes to broaden students' horizons with their experiences

Read to Dream is one of the SHKP Reading Club's signature events. Aimed at encouraging children and teenagers to make reading a habit, this is the eleventh consecutive year the SHKP Reading Club has organized this programme in collaboration with St. James' Settlement (SJS) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. This year, some 1,300 disadvantaged primary four to secondary three students in various districts were sponsored to visit the Book Fair. Accompanied by SHKP and SJS volunteers, each student received HK$250 sponsored by SHKP to buy books at the Fair, also attended celebrity talks and creative workshops. Another 300 students will be joining Read to Dream reading activities in the new academic year.

Under the theme of Building Confidence through Happy Reading, the celebrity talk of the eleventh SHKP Read to Dream saw SHKP Marketing Director Edgar Yang who is also a Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force Commandant, Deputy Secretary General of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC), as well as the captain and seeded shooting representative of the shooting discipline for Hong Kong, along with legendary Hong Kong cyclist and SF&OC Sports Legacy Programme Development Executive Wong Kam-po, as well as e-sports management executive and a graduate of the Chinese University of Hong Kong Business School Clearence Cheung share their valuable experiences in business, sports and social services, and how reading had helped them grow and face challenges in life. They all noted that reading promotes holistic physical and mental developments. They therefore encouraged students to understand their interests and read extensively in order to build up their confidence and discover new possibilities in different areas. Young Writers' Debut Competition winner RedTeeth also led a creative workshop to coach students in the art of 4-panel comic drawing.

Share the joy of reading, dive into in an ocean of books!

The SHKP Reading Club set up a booth at the Hong Kong Book Fair and invited four travel veterans, including multimedia artist Vincci Cheuk, Walk in Hong Kong Co-founder & CEO Paul Chan, along with GLO Travel Co-founders & Directors Rubio Chan and Jamie Cheung, to share how reading during their travels had broadened their horizons and opened up new possibilities for them throughout their lives.

In addition, Reading in Short Film, the third activity to celebrate SHKP Reading Club's fifth anniversary, was recently launched in collaboration with The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups M21. This activity encourages the public to record their happy reading moments on mobile phones and then share the videos on social media platforms. The 'shares' then turn into 'sponsorships' for children and teens to participate in a host of creative reading activities. Visit SHKP Reading Club's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/shkpreadingclub) and website (www.shkpreadingclub.com) for more details.

About the SHKP Reading Club

SHKP believes in Building Homes with Heart and promotes reading and holistic development. It set up the Reading Club in 2013 to consolidate its reading-related initiatives such as seminars with leading speakers and guided cultural tours to inspire more people to enjoy reading and make it a habit. Anyone interested can join for free at www.shkpreadingclub.com.

About St James' Settlement

St James' Settlement is a multi-social service agency established over 60 years ago. It provides comprehensive services to meet the community's diverse needs and promotes self-reliance for an integrated, harmonious society. Its target groups include children, teenagers, families, homeless people, mentally challenged people and the elderly.

About the Hong Kong Trade Development Council

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council is a statutory body established in 1966 as the international marketing arm for Hong Kong-based traders, manufacturers and service providers. It has more than 40 global offices including 11 on the mainland and promotes Hong Kong as a place to do business with China and throughout Asia. The Council also organizes trade fairs and business missions to connect companies with opportunities in Hong Kong and on the mainland, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and online.