CUHK
News Centre

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) will organize the ‘Walk with Professor Kao’ CUHK Walkathon (Walkathon) on the morning of 14 March (Sunday), with Professor and Mrs. Charles Kao officiating at the kick-off ceremony. The event is organized to raise funds for the University’s Charles K. Kao Scholarship Endowment Fund and a training programme for family caregivers of people with cognitive loss. About 2,000 walkers, consisting of staff, students, alumni, Council members and friends of CUHK, as well as members of the community, are expected to join the Walkathon.

This will be one of the few events in which Professor Kao, Nobel Laureate in Physics 2009, gets up close with CUHK members and the public since his return to Hong Kong. Over 1,000 walkers have already registered for this worthy event. Four awards will be presented to encourage participation and donation, namely Best Fundraiser Award for individual, group and College, and Most Number of Participants Award for College.

Professor Lawrence J. Lau, CUHK Vice-Chancellor, says, ‘The Walkathon will help to increase awareness of the value of scientific research and innovation as exemplified by Professor Kao, and promote care for the community. I believe there will be active participation from both within CUHK and the wider community, bringing much benefit to our students and society at large.’

Donations will be used to support outstanding and innovative students for overseas exchange and research internships, with priority given to physics and engineering majors, who share the same passion in research and innovative spirit as Professor Kao. Part of the donations will be used to develop a web-based training programme for family caregivers to learn about taking care of people with cognitive loss. According to Professor Timothy Kwok of the Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine of CUHK, who is experienced in providing care for people with cognitive loss, many families looking after people with cognitive loss are under a lot of stress. Professor Kwok says, ‘It is partly due to a lack of understanding of the disease and the lack of communication skill in people with cognitive loss. Family caregiver training has been shown to be effective in reducing caregiver burden. Unfortunately, many family caregivers in Hong Kong do not have enough time to undergo structured caregiver training. With the increasing use of the Internet, web-based training has become an effective means to deliver such training.’

Mrs. Kao appeals the Hong Kong community to support this event, ‘Please come and support this event – if not with your feet then with your pockets! I am advocating for more help for family care givers of patients suffering from various forms of cognition loss. It is a very stressful and demanding job.’

Starting from the Lingnan Stadium of the Chung Chi College at CUHK, walkers can choose either to take a 90-minute or a 45-minute route to the University Mall. Both offer scenic views of Tolo Harbour and Pat Sin Leng. After the walk, participants can visit the exhibition in the University Library where Professor Kao’s Nobel Prize Medal and Diploma along with his other precious awards will be on display.

The Walkathon welcomes participation from the community. To take part in this fun and meaningful event, please complete the application form available on CUHK website (http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/oia/cuhkwalkathon) and submit it to the University on or before 10 March.