One of Hong Kong’s biggest annual fundraising campaigns – Operation Santa Claus (OSC), jointly organised by Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) and South China Morning Post (SCMP), marked it

Pearl Anniversary with over HK$15 million raised for 14 NGOs.

The theme for this year is “Changing Lives for Good”. The fundraising campaign, held over the last two months, demonstrated the notable concern and support of the public towards those in need.

A total raised of HK$15,154,186 was revealed at the closing ceremony on Tuesday by officiating guests, Director of Broadcasting Leung Ka-wing, Chief Executive Officer of South China Morning Post Gary Liu and OSC 2017 Ambassador Gin Lee, and representatives of donors and beneficiaries.

A number of outstanding donors also received awards during the ceremony.

Discovery Mind School was awarded “Top School Fundraiser”. The “Most Creative School Fundraiser” went to International College Hong Kong. Apart from schools, corporations also put in much efforts in initiating creative fundraising ideas for the good cause. Morgan Stanley was recognised as “Top Corporate Fundraiser”, and Clifford Chance attained the “Most Creative Corporate Fundraiser”. As for the newly-established Fun4funds awards, St. Clare‟s Girls School attained “Top Fundraiser”, and Shung Tak Catholic English College got the “Most Effective Community Contribution” award.

The evening got off to a rousing, and very surprising start, as three internationally acclaimed opera singers who had been posing as waiters and serving our guests, suddenly burst into song.

The Singing Waiters, led by tenor Tomos Griffiths (who has appeared many times on the stage of Her Majesty‟s Theatre London in the lead role of the Phantom of The Opera), treated the crowd to one of the great opera arias “Nessun Dorma” by a renowned Italian opera composer Puccini.