聯繫人

香港柴灣興華(二)邨安興樓天台
hkdsa@hk-dsa.org.hk
2697 5391
2692 4955

Stars on the pitch

The most beautiful encounter

The flame of friendship is ignited

A great partner along the way

Guardian angel in life

In early February, when it's still warm, yellowing lights illuminate the stadium and the young people in the pétanque training class. A young girl stands on the track, engrossed in aiming and preparing for the serve. Her movements are skillful and subtle, her eyes are full of confidence, and with a flick of her ball, the ball lands right next to the target ball, closer than any opponent's ball. There was a cheer from the stadium, and she excitedly high-fived her teammates in celebration. The girl's name is Emily and she is the captain of the lawn bocce team.

Every mother wants her children to learn to be independent and to be exposed to different aspects of society to broaden their knowledge. Emily's loving mother is no exception, and she arranged for Emily to participate in the "Diligence Project" mentor and alumni pairing. Emily is 20 years old and works in packaging and enjoys sports, singing and dancing in her spare time. Like other post-90s girls, she loves to play video games. She is very enthusiastic and popular with her friends. This mentorship matching program allowed her to meet an important mentor in her life - Janet. Janet and Emily met in the pétanque training class and are now paired for a year and a half. Newly retired, Janet wanted to explore his interests and decided to join a long-term volunteer program to serve those in need. She agreed with the concept of "Diligence Scheme" and hoped to encourage friends with Down syndrome to do more sports to delay aging, and then volunteered for the pétanque training class. At that time, Emily was preparing to participate in the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals' "Run to Inclusion", a long-distance run event of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Special Marathon (iRun), but the runner had to withdraw due to important matters. By chance, Janet, who also loves sports, replaced the original runner and competed with Emily in iRun. As they get along and discover that they share similar interests, Janet naturally becomes Emily's mentor and writes the first chapter of their friendship.

Emily participates in boccia training every week, and Janet, who is also a volunteer and mentor of the training class, also accompanies Emily to practice. After practice, Janet would have dinner with the Emily family from time to time and have a good time. The smart and cheerful Emily has a wide range of interests, dabbles in many activities, and is relatively busy. But as soon as she has free time, she picks up her phone and happily shares interesting stories with Janet. Every time they meet, Janet arranges her favorite activities for Emily and gives her "tasks" such as speaking practice, introducing herself to new friends, and physical training. Janet joined this volunteer service program to let more people know friends with Down syndrome, and Janet would put photos with Emily on social networking sites from time to time, sharing the bits and pieces of getting along and telling his feelings about this friendship. In addition, she will invite the Emily family to her friends' gatherings so that Emily can integrate into her circle of life and strengthen their relationship. She believes that every child is born with a variety of traits and talents, as long as you are willing to open your heart to them, you will feel their loveliness. It turned out that Janet had agreed to be a mentor, but it was actually well thought out. Because being a mentor is a commitment, she hopes to dedicate her heart and time wholeheartedly to the alumni. Soon, her relationship with Emily grew by leaps and bounds. In this way, the candlelight of their friendship was quietly lit.

Emily and Janet get along very well and love to do sports together and exercise together. Over time, Emily became healthier and improved her walking posture. And what they feel most deeply is participating in iRun. Emily practices running on weekdays, and although it is not a brisk walk, she does not give up easily. However, for Emily, challenging for a marathon is never easy, but with the encouragement of her family and the company of Janet, she was able to complete the event. The moment they crossed the line, the Emily family and Janet were excited. Their joy is not only because of the medals and glory, but also because of the process of the two fighting side by side for the goal. The moment when Emily and Janet crossed the finish line together constitutes the most fond memories of the two.

Others always say that Emily is a happy child, deeply loved by her parents, and has Janet, a close mentor and friend. In fact, Emily is not the only one surrounded by love. Janet not only has a deep relationship with Emily, but also has a personal relationship with her family, spending time together and enjoying life. During the visit, it is not difficult to find that Janet and Emily's parents are like brothers. They even agreed to travel together during the holidays, which is really valuable. After retirement, it is very meaningful for Janet to be a mentor and friend of people with Down syndrome and give back to the society. But for her, the most grateful thing is to meet "Don Baby" Emily. After becoming a mentor, she gained a sincere friendship with the Emily family, which made her life more fulfilling, and it seemed that she gained more than she gave more. The appearance of Emily, in addition to painting a color for Janet's wonderful life, also brings meaning to the family. Emily's family once encountered difficulties that exhausted her mother. Just when she felt desperate, her mother remembered her beloved Emily, and even just a look and a smile were enough for her mother to survive. On the pitch, Emily is the soul of the lawn bocce team; Off the court, she is the guardian angel of her family.