The tough life of the elderly and the underprivileged was made even worse by the economic downturn in Hong Kong more than a decade ago. Dr Chu Chor-lup felt that these people were being neglected by society, as they could not obtain timely assistance from the various funding programmes that were handicapped by complex application procedures. In 1998, he and his friends set up the self-financing A.J.R. Charitable Foundation Limited. He has been serving as the chairman of the Foundation which offers financial assistance to those in distress and lacking timely support.

Over the past 15 years, Dr Chu has handled more than 300 cases of funding assistance, including sponsoring the district events, volunteer training and the purchase of medical auxiliary equipment, drugs and wheelchairs to meet the emergency medical needs of the elderly, sick and injured. The Foundation has also sponsored local rehabilitation institutions as well as organizations providing services to the elderly and people with disabilities, with the hope to reach out to more people.

In order to avoid any administrative cost, saving every penny for use on people in need, and to speed up the approval process, Dr Chu would try to do everything himself. He would personally visit those referred to him by social workers and service agencies to understand their needs, give professional advice and make the necessary arrangements. He would also visit them again afterwards to ensure they have received proper assistance. Dr Chu even takes a day off his private medical practice every week to tend to the affairs of the Foundation.

Dr Chu cares not only the physical needs of people, but also their psychological well-being. He would help them fulfill their wishes. There was a terminally ill elderly cancer patient who wanted to have roast goose in Sham Tseng with his friends from the elderly home. It may be a seemingly insignificant wish, yet the Foundation helped the patient accomplish the wish and this made him very pleased.

In the course of the Foundation’s work over the past decade, Dr Chu came across some suspected cases of abuse of fund and fraud occasionally, but he would rather help more people than miss out anyone in need. His passion for humanitarian service never wanes. As for the future, Dr Chu will explore more ways to help those in the social welfare “gray area”. He will also pass on his values and beliefs to the next generation so that they can continue with the humanitarian cause.