PolyU Seal of Love Foundation Building Naming Ceremony

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has recently renamed the Block BC building on campus as the “Seal of Love Foundation Building”. A Naming Ceremony was held on 8 December to honour the recognition and generous support of the Seal of Love Charitable Foundation (the Foundation) for PolyU’s education and research development.

Dr LAM Tai-fai, PolyU Council Chairman, accompanied by Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, PolyU President, presented mementos to Mr Lawrence CHAN, Chairman of Seal of Love Charitable Foundation Limited, Ms Dee Dee CHAN, Director of Seal of Love Charitable Foundation Limited, and members of the Chan family. Together with University senior management, they officiated at the plaque unveiling ceremony for the “Seal of Love Foundation Building”. Witnessing this important moment, the ceremony was also attended by friends of the Chan family.

The Chan family’s long-standing ties with PolyU date back to the 1980s. Pioneering Hong Kong hotelier Mr CHAN Chak Fu was an early champion of the proposal to set up the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) and made a donation to the then Hong Kong Polytechnic for a hospitality vocational training programme. In 2017, the family made a generous donation to SHTM to further develop the School’s excellence in the hospitality industry. In recognition of the contribution, the building that houses the School was named the Mr and Mrs Chan Chak Fu Building.

Now, the Seal of Love Charitable Foundation, founded by Mr Lawrence Chan, son of Mr and Mrs Chan Chak Fu, has shown its support again to PolyU by providing a donation of $45 million to establish the “Seal of Love Charitable Foundation Health and Service Impact Fund,” which has the aim of advancing PolyU’s research impact in health-related disciplines. The first project beneficiary will be a five-year mental health initiative called The Resilience Students Training Hub (“ReST Hub”). ReST Hub’s goal is to turn university campuses across Hong Kong and Asia into mental health promotive ecosystems through services, trainings, and community engagement events.

Also a keen supporter of PolyU, Ms Dee Dee Chan, daughter of Mr Lawrence Chan and granddaughter of Mr and Mrs Chan Chak Fu, is currently a member of the University Council, as well as a Director of Hotel Icon Limited and a governing committee member of the PolyU Foundation.

Prof. Jin-Guang Teng sincerely thanked the Foundation for their generosity and long-standing support to PolyU. He said, “We are honoured to receive this generous donation from the Foundation in support of PolyU’s education and research development for promoting mental wellness among students and youth, and the vision of transforming university campuses into mental health promoting ecosystems.”

The “Seal of Love Foundation Building” is located adjacent to the University main entrance and the iconic long staircase. It not only preserves the memories of generations of staff and students, but also symbolises the close partnership between the Foundation and PolyU.

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