"Leave love for humanity" A True Story on on Legacy Giving

“Departing whilst spreading love in the world and helping more people in need – as a younger brother, how could I not be supportive?” Uncle Ho, age 75, assisted in donating part of his sister's estate to the Hong Kong Red Cross three years ago. Ms. Ho died of cancer.

Uncle Ho was not overly saddened by the past, instead, he smiled and said “Finally, I can fulfil her wish, as the donation will benefit more people in need.” More than ten years ago, illness struck. Uncle Ho's sister suffered from nasopharyngeal cancer. Her treatment at the hospital required many blood transfusions. “At that time, my brother-in-law was no longer around. My sister was at the hospital, battling the disease alone. She was very brave and was able to overcome challenge after challenge. She was fortunate to receive blood transfusions from the Hong Kong Red Cross every time.” Uncle Ho said that his sister was grateful, and she also hoped to give back to the Hong Kong Red Cross and do her best to help others. This prompted her to make a will and donate part of her estate to the Hong Kong Red Cross.

Uncle Ho was not surprised by his sister's decision. “My brother-in-law had already passed, they have no children, and since the livelihoods of our siblings were not a concern, donating her inheritance to charitable organizations could have a greater impact than we expect. This is leaving a legacy of love in the world.” He knew that donations could help more people in need in our society. “Talking the talk and walking the walk, my sister was committed to donate her inheritance to charitable organizations. This is a commendable act and deserves support.”

Uncle Ho acknowledged that the public does not know much about “legacy giving”. In addition, estate planning and will making are considered taboos in Chinese culture. Many people choose not to touch on this issue when they are alive, and eventually fail to make good use of their estate to help more people in need upon their death. He hopes that his sister's selfless donation will enable the Hong Kong Red Cross to deliver more humanitarian services, benefit more vulnerable groups in our community, and at the same time, influence more people to participate in legacy giving to continue spreading the great love. “What's more? The process of legacy giving – from collecting information, to making a will, to getting relatives and friends on board for inheritance execution – is not complicated at all. Plan in advance so that more vulnerable groups can benefit – it's a no-brainer!”Uncle Ho is sharing the story of his sister's legacy giving, hoping to inspire more people in the community to donate their inheritance, spreading love in humanity.

Please join the "Friends of the Red Cross" Monthly Donation Program, or click here to increase your current monthly donation, so that we can carry out more humanitarian services and alleviate the suffering of the vulnerable groups in our community.