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Dan Kadison

There were no gifts under the Christmas tree in Po Leung Kuk's Yuen Long Early Learning Centre lobby.
The one present the social service provider really wants would not fit under any ordinary evergreen.
Po Leung Kuk is a beneficiary of the annual Operation Santa Claus fund-raising drive, and its New Territories centre is designed to improve the lives of physically and mentally disabled children up to the age of six.
The centre strives to better the lives of its young students with educational classes, communication training, and physical and speech therapy sessions. 
While there are books and bouncy balls,  the centre does not have its own  transport.  A 16-seat  light bus would make a world of difference to its students and their parents.
Members of the Clifford Chance  law firm, a major Operation Santa Claus sponsor, visited the  centre to learn more about Po Leung Kuk, to hear why a bus is so important and to see why their donations   really matter.
Funds raised by Operation Santa Claus, co-organised by the South China Morning Post and RTHK, go to 13 beneficiaries this year.
 This month,  lawyers Amy Lam and Matt Fairclough,  who sit on Clifford Chance's charity committee, sat down with three members of Po Leung Kuk: Iris Au, the centre's manager; Queenie Luk, a social worker; and Brenda Mok Dan-ling, Po Leung Kuk's development officer for social services administration. The  lawyers were shown a presentation about the centre, and afterwards Au told them why a bus was needed.
The centre's students and their parents find normal modes of transport difficult to access and navigate, she said. The children 'have different disabilities. Some of them can't walk', Au said.
As they grow, parents struggle to carry them. Strollers or buggies are especially hard to use during rush hour  on public transport. And in some circumstances, the children's safety 'cannot be assured', she said.
Lam and Fairclough also toured the facilities. They were shown specialised teaching rooms, including a 'social adaptation area', a room laid out to resemble a hair salon.  
Then, they met several students, including three-year-old Shan, who has cerebral palsy, and Hin, four, who has autism. 
Fairclough and Lam said it was important to meet the children and visit the centre.
'We need to see all the realities of life, and ... see everyone in our community as part of that community,' Lam said.
'The staff are quite amazing,' Fairclough  said, 'and they're also doing a fantastic job within the community.
'They've obviously got some real needs here for equipment, particularly the bus they need to bring kids into the centre,' he said. 'Operation Santa Claus is bringing much-needed funds into the centre.'
Clifford Chance is a major sponsor of Operation Santa Claus for the first time this year. 
'We want to meet the needs of our local communities, and contribute in a practical way,' Lam said. 'We saw Operation Santa Claus as doing precisely that, and the specific projects that were mentioned in the proposals for Operation Santa Claus really caught our attention. 
'One of the projects is, as we're seeing today, for Po Leung Kuk.' 
Shan's father, Ng Wing-kiu,  was happy that guests were touring the centre, and that the centre is close to seeing its holiday wish come true.
'The school bus will help all the people in the centre,'  he said.
How you can give
Donate online by credit card at osc.scmp.com
Donations can be made by ATM or at any HSBC branches: a/c number 502-676299-001 for  SCMP CHARITIES LTD - OPERATION SANTA CLAUS
You can donate by cheque, payable to  'SCMP CHARITIES LTD - OPERATION SANTA CLAUS' and mailed to:
Operation Santa Claus, Morning Post Centre, 22 Dai Fat Street, Tai Po Industrial Estate, New Territories, Hong Kong.
Donations of HK$100 or more are tax-deductible. If you'd like a tax receipt, please send the completed donation form and original bank receipt, with your name, address and phone number, to the address above
Contact us at osc@scmp.com or  2680 8159 or visit us online at osc.scmp.com



Lawyers help children with disabilities to get on the bus