Miss Clarea Au Suet Ming

Chairman Yang, University Council Members, President Tong and Honoured Guests,

It is my great honour to receive this Fellowship from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. It not only represents the recognition by PolyU of my commitment to serving the community, but also provides a strong impetus to drive me forward.

“Caring for the aged and the young” has always been my principle in serving the community. It is a shame to see many gifted children, especially those from grassroots families, failing to reach their full potential due to the lack of proper timely recognition of their talents. In view of this, I made a donation to PolyU to establish The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Yan Oi Tong Au Suet Ming Child Development Centre for Giftedness in 2010. The Centre focuses on providing prioritized free-of-charge assessments and professional training to children, catering to their special needs and thereby helping build a better tomorrow for them. This vision to serve the young in need has deepened my understanding of PolyU.

Today, Hong Kong is facing the problem of an aging society, in which Alzheimer’s disease is becoming increasingly common. In 2012, I had the opportunity to collaborate with the Charles K. Kao Foundation (named after Professor Charles Kao, Nobel Prize Winner) and took steps to further their vision of providing enhanced care to Alzheimer’s disease patients. With the founding of the Yan Oi Tong Clarea Au Eldergarten at Shun Tin Estate in Kwun Tong, the living quality of Alzheimer’s disease patients has improved through the provision of assessment, day-care and training services to the patients and their caregivers. The Eldergarten is a major step forward in my dream of “caring for the aged”.

Apart from serving the community, I am also concerned about environmental conservation. In 2013, I joined PolyU’s Endowed Professorship Scheme, and partnered with the University to establish the Clarea Au Endowed Professorship in Energy for advancing research to further the development of sustainable, clean and renewable energy sources to benefit society.

After more than three quarters of a century, through its remarkable achievements in nurturing professional talents and conducting research with practical value, PolyU has established itself as a leading application-oriented university in Hong Kong. I am most pleased to be invited to join the Fund-raising Committee of the PolyU Council and contribute to the long-term development of the University. I would like to take this opportunity to thank President Tong, members of the Senior Management of the University, and all those PolyU staff with whom I have had the pleasure to work with. I will uphold my principle of “caring for the aged and the young” and join hands with PolyU to contribute to the development of Hong Kong. Lastly, I look forward to seeing PolyU’s continued development in its quest to reach its next level of excellence and to become one of the topmost universities in the world.

Thank you very much.

Miss Clarea Au Suet Ming

Mrs Nina Lam Lee Yuen Bing, MH

Mr Peter Sun Kwok Wah, MH

Dr Jimmy Tang Kui Ming, MH

Dr Loretta Yam Yin Chun, BBS

Ms Belinda Yeung Bik Yiu

Mr Johnny Yeung Chi Hung

Mrs Betty Yuen So Siu Mai

(in alphabetical order of last name)