Since 1997, ACCA Hong Kong has organised its flagship annual community event, the rickshaw competition, to help those in need. Accountancy firms, multinationals, businesses and institutions have all entered teams, and the event has raised over HK$20m (US$2.6m) in total. The money has gone to help foster cohesion between the financial sector and the community, and realise the meaningful projects of charitable organisations.
Despite the restrictions of Covid-19, it is important to carry on this tradition, as the event is much loved by the general public and the business community alike. It also demonstrates ACCA’s strong commitment to bringing love and care to our society – we have been growing along with Hong Kong for seven decades.
At the end of 2020, we moved the event online. By using augmented reality video, we were able to host the rickshaw races virtually so that the excitement and fun generated by the event could still be experienced. It was Hong Kong’s first-ever virtual rickshaw race, with participants playing on social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram, and sharing the results and excitement with each other.
The virtual rickshaw race attracted more than 4,500 gameplays, and over 1,100 photo and video captures were shared on social media
Instead of the one-day live event held on Chater Road in Central, the online format allowed the race to be extended into a month-long campaign during December. It was a perfect time to engage our stakeholders in having fun together in the festive season. The game, with a festive theme, was launched in December and attracted more than 4,500 gameplays. Over 1,100 photo and video captures of the race were shared on social media platforms.
Six sponsors were secured for the event and 26 teams, comprising employers, professional associations as well as institutes, participated in two weeks of teambuilding and social interaction for our corporate challenge. EY Rich (one of three teams entered by the firm) won the top participating team award, while PwC (eight teams entered) won the top donation award.
Community gains
We are pleased to have raised HK$718,000 for three local beneficiaries, which contribute to many meaningful projects targeting various unprivileged segments in the local community.
The corporate sponsors were:
- Chiu & Partners
- Fantastic Natural Cosmetics
- Glory Sun Financial Group
- Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings)
- Tencent Charity Foundation
- Ultra Active Technology
The money raised was donated to the beneficiaries listed below with the remaining funds transferred to ACCA Charitable Foundation Limited:
- AnAn International Education Foundation (Charity), which brings art therapists to people with special educational needs
- Changing Young Lives Foundation, which uses expressive arts to help foster the mental wellbeing of secondary students
- Hong Kong Society for the Blind, which uses devices for the visually impaired elderly to reduce anxiety and stress
ACCA Hong Kong thanks our strong network of sponsors in the business community, and is proud to unite with our members in this charitable initiative supporting the local community in need.
