The local office of global sight-saving organisation Orbis has launched its annual fund-raising campaign and the easiest way for the general public to help those who are needlessly blind to see again is to eat, shop and learn from 60 local businesses.
Following the success of last year’s “Darkness To Go” campaign, Orbis Macau has expanded the scope of this year’s “Darkness To Go” campaign with about 60 participating local merchants each offering selected items or services of which the proceeds will be donated to Orbis.
This means that from now until August 20 anyone who wants to raise funds for Orbis’ effort to help the visually impaired around the world to escape darkness can help by just spending at the participating businesses, which range from restaurants to hair salons, fashion boutiques to toy shops, medical centres to florists, learning centres to pharmacies.
For OCBC Wing Hang Orbis credit card holders, for every transaction made at any business during the campaign period, the bank will double its usual 0.3 percent donation by pledging 0.6 percent of your purchase’s value to Orbis.
If you’re thinking of getting a haircut sometime this week, wait for this Sunday because Salon Joy’s Chin is running a “Cut and Drive Away Darkness” where proceeds after costs that day made from its three branches – in Zape, near Rua do Campo and near Lou Lim Ieoc Garden – will be donated to Orbis. For details and reservations, please call 2832 2140 or 2835 5969.
In addition, the more you spend at the participating businesses, the bigger your chance will be to win a post-campaign lucky draw in a limited edition model of the iconic Orbis Flying Eye Hospital.
The campaign’s ambassador “Preto” (“black” in Portuguese), who made appearances at participating businesses last year, is back in action this year with two friends: “Luz” and “Gift”.
The design of the whole “Darkness To Go” campaign was created by a volunteer team of young local designers headed by Nono Leong.
“Preto”, designed by Hei Chu, is characterised by its blue body to represent Orbis’ colour and a big mouth to symbolise eating away the darkness. This year, Leong has invited other new young designers on board to give them opportunities to give back to society and use their professionalism to for charitable work.
Designed by Tramy Lui, “Luz” (“light” in Portuguese) looks like a light bulb, and just like a light bulb and Orbis’ sight-saving mission, “Luz” symbolises bringing light to people who live in darkness because they are needlessly blind.
“Gift” is the orangey character designed by Chan Sio Meng, and like a gift with a bow as its ears, the character symbolises how being able to see again is a gift to those whose blindness can be cured.
In this year’s campaign video, Ben Cheong depicts the joy experienced by a person with colour blindness in seeing colours again.
For more details, please visit www.orbis.org/darknesstogo
