Children’s Medical Foundation (CMF) celebrates 30 years with a luxurious gala dinner at Island Shangri-La
The CMF’s 30th anniversary saw over 220 guests attend its lavish gala dinner at the Island Shangri-La. The event was not only to raise funds, but to celebrate the impact the organisation has made over decades on some of the most vulnerable newborns in Asia.
As Guest of Honour, Henry Fan, chairman of the Hospital Authority, spoke about CMF’s long-standing partnership with Hong Kong’s public healthcare system. He noted that, starting from 2024, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital joined the China Neonatal Network (CHNN). This partnership means that newborns in Hong Kong can now share vital medical data and knowledge with regions across mainland China. The lack of a centralised neonatal network has long been a gap in Hong Kong, and CMF has been the bridge across these fractures.
The HK$5.5 million raised from the evening will support two urgent initiatives: establishing a unified neonatal network system, and providing point-of-care ultrasound training for neonatal specialists. The latter allows doctors to make critical decisions within minutes, beating time in moments when every second matters.
Beyond donors from the medical and financial sectors, more than 30 youth volunteers from CMF, including members of the Young Ambassador Society, Social Impact Fellowship and Junior Professional Network, were present to support operations throughout the evening. They moved between the auction area, donation booths and backstage.
The most touching moment came at the close of the night. As guests departed, each received a CMF 30th Anniversary Pearl Brooch. It symbolised the organisation’s original name, Project HOPE, and the many newborn lives it continues to protect.
This year’s top 18 donors also received a special-edition Labubu figurine, adorned with a pearl necklace and dark green sunglasses, sponsored by CSOP Asset Management Limited. The accessories added a touch of playfulness and warmth to an otherwise formal and composed evening.
Since its founding in 1995, CMF has helped establish 102 NICUs (neonatal intensive care units) across southwest and remote regions of China, treating 87,000 newborns every year, meaning one baby receives care every six minutes, and one life is saved every 17 minutes. They have trained over 4,500 primary-level healthcare workers, and connected 52,000 sites through a mobile transport network, giving critically ill infants the chance to be transferred to more suitable hospitals.
In Guizhou and Sichuan, CMF’s involvement reduced neonatal mortality rates from 15.5 to 3.1 percent, numbers that speak for themselves, requiring no embellishment.
Thirty years on, CMF continues in the same way it began. Step by step, delivering hope to children who have yet to fully see the world.
Also see: More Good Hong Kong: “Zou Zit” charity dinner blending Shanghai and Sichuan flavours
