In lieu of gifts, Jonah and Elsa would be honored if you would donate money to 'Variety (HK ) - The Children's Charity' on their behalf. Variety is a global and well known charity, but new to Hong Kong. They are setting up a number of local programs focused on serving children who are less fortunate – children who live and grow up with serious illnesses, disabilities or disadvantages. Your donations, thoughts and generosity will go a long way. We will share back with you the amount raised and how the funds are being use if you include your name.

Some current programs being run by Variety (HK):

The Variety Butterfly Program:
A flagship program developed to provide early assessment and interim treatment of children and adolescents with mental health problems from financially disadvantaged families who do not have the means to seek medical or psychiatric services outside the public health system. Variety also works with other charities to provide counseling and coping skills for families and carers.

Art in Children’s Wards:
In co-operation with the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (which administers public hospitals in Hong Kong) and the FarGo Foundation (an NGO which works with at-risk youths by channeling their energy into street art), a team of volunteers from Variety and FarGo Foundation teamed up to paint the children’s psychiatric wards at Princess Margaret Hospital. Together the team of artists and children used street art to spray paint the walls and brighten up the wards of the hospital. A second program at another public hospital is planned for later this year.

Variety Children's Christmas Party:
At a Christmas Party sponsored by Cafe Deco, Variety arranged for 35 children from disadvantage backgrounds to learn how to make pizza from Cafe Deco pizza chefs. After the class, kids ate their pizzas and received gifts from Santa!

(To learn a little more about the work Variety does globally, you can visit their site: http://variety.org )