Barry Grindrod - A “Historic” Time of Giving
Christmas is a time for giving. But for the volunteers of the KELY Support Group, they have been giving for more than 33 years.
They have been giving their time, their expertise and their hearts to turn around the lives of thousands of young people every day and every month of those years.
The fact that they have survived this far is nothing less than a miracle, a testament to those incredible young people who identified the need for a drug support group in the first place.
I am proud to say I was there at the beginning. I was working for the South China Morning Post and writing a column called Drug Watch.
As the drug problem among young people got worse, the SCMP launched a week-long campaign which eventually lasted nine months and featured more than 150 of my articles.
On day two we highlighted the case of Samantha Martin, a 20-year-old recovering alcoholic, who had started to visit schools to warn youngsters of the dangers of drink and drugs.
To protect her anonymity I called her Kelly. Today, 33 years later the name has stuck albeit with one ‘L’ less as KELY wanted to create an acronym that summed up the group, Kids Everywhere Like You.
At the end of that article was a paragraph which read: “Kelly will hold the first meeting of what is hoped to be an informal weekly support group at her home on Thursday”.
Within two days Samantha/Kelly had been besieged by more than 50 youngsters wanting to talk to her.
The momentum for the KELY Support Group had begun. The rest, as they say, is history.
KELY Support Group has widened their services scope from a drug support group to a community-based organisation focusing on Drug and Alcohol Awareness, Mental Health and Wellbeing, as well as Positive Youth Development for both Chinese and non-Chinese youth.
To serve a wider scope and reach out to more youth in need, it is a long way from the days of bake sales and other small, but crucial fundraising events held in the early days of 1991.
The progress since that time has been nothing short of incredible. KELY has changed lives and, even more than that, has SAVED lives.
Many of those who have been saved have returned to put back into KELY what KELY gave to them, help and above all hope.
As someone who saw the work of those first KELY volunteers, I am sure none of them could ever have dreamt of the success that their early efforts had paved the way for today.
I can only appeal for people to dig deep into their pockets this Christmas to ensure KELY survives for another 30 years.
If you are inspired by our work and would like to help us continue making a difference, please consider making a donation to support KELY Support Group. Your contribution can make a real impact.
This article was written for and a featured piece in KELY’s monthly Newsletter. To subscribe, please click here.
