On Wednesday, 8 May, the Holiday Inn Golden Mile hotel‘s ballroom was transformed into a space for celebration for the eighth edition of The One 2019 Gala Dinner and was attended by nearly 400 of the city’s celebrities, socialites and industry leaders. The evening saw nearly HK$2 million in prize money awarded to winners and runner-ups.
Founded by Hong Kong entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr. David Harilela, The One annually acknowledges the ultimate unsung heroes from the 852 and beyond, awarding one with a grand cash prize of HK$200,000, and the two runner-ups with HK$80,000. The prize money is then used to bolster the humanitarian’s efforts and expand on the existing service projects they lead.
Taking home the grand-prize and honour as The One this year was Maria Law, a single mother to an intellectually disabled daughter. Ms. Law operates the Holy Café in Cheung Shan Wan, where she employs her daughter as well as other individuals with intellectual disabilities, giving them the chance to be employed and trained in restaurant service. The runner-ups were Chow Shu Tak, a street hawker in Jordan who provides care to the homeless and intellectually-disabled, and Nip Yeung Sing, a former businessman, who has developed programmes for Hong Kong’s elderly including funeral services and food distribution.