2 5 8 3 6 1 4 7 1 Alice Kwan, Ivy Pui See Wong, Kate Falconer 2 Henry & Betty Au, Donal Boylan 3 Sally & Malcolm Begbie, Donal Boylan 4 David Costello, The Crossroads Foundation team, Donal Boylan 5 Ben Cooper, David Begbie, Abby & Derek Kenny, Jay Primo Solmiano 6 Andrew Chung with the Compass Offices & Plum Foods team 7 Bharat Ahir, Adam Funnell, David Simpson, Paul McGarrity, Bruce Aitken, Jed Thian 8 Celtic Bauhinia Irish dancing troupe Photos: Fuyang Duluca CHINA AROUND THE WORLD connect 2019 • 95 October, 2018 The Ireland Funds China 3rd Annual Gala Dinner hosted over 180 guests at the Hong Kong Shangri-La ballroom. Proceeds from the evening were in aid of Crossroads Foundation. The evening’s entertainment included two roof-raising sessions from the locally-based Echoes of Erin Celtic Bauhinia troupe of Irish dancers, following a welcoming jazz trio, wonderful solo Broadway musical and opera vocal renditions. The work of Crossroads Foundation was introduced by David Begbie who provided their heartfelt history and development in connecting with people in need in Hong Kong, wider Asia and Africa. Ivy Pui See Wong, a resident of former Hong Kong fishing village Tai O, shared the community’s story with Crossroads volunteer Kate Falconer on stage. In addition to a successful silent auction, the night’s inspiring MC Andrew Work handled the main live auction with aplomb to send truckloads of essential goods for Crossroads Community Impact Fund programs in Hong Kong. The Ireland Funds China