To express gratitude for fathers’ selfless contributions to the family and to promote filial piety and family bonds, the Xiahuan Elderly Comprehensive Service Centre, run by the Mothers’ Association, organised a series of events in June entitled ‘Fragrant Blooms, Love in Our Hearts’ to honour parental kindness. Through a series of craft-making and interactive sessions, residents and their families were able to spend quality time together, conveying love and gratitude.

The series of events kicked off on 4 June with a ‘Vase-Making Workshop’, where residents, accompanied by their families, created their own unique vases, setting the tone for the rest of the programme. To provide residents and their families with more opportunities to spend time together, the centre organised a ‘Expressing Gratitude to Parents’ event on 12 June, featuring a special afternoon tea session. Families and residents were invited to create bamboo-woven artworks together, fostering parent-child interaction through the collaborative process in a warm and joyful atmosphere.

On Father’s Day (21 June), the centre organised a baking workshop, inviting residents and their families to bake cakes together, conveying their gratitude through sweet treats. Accompanied by their families, the residents worked in perfect harmony and with much laughter through every step of the process, from mixing the batter and spreading the filling to decorating the cakes. One family member shared that being able to complete a cake together with their father, and the conversations and companionship during the process, were more precious than the finished product itself. After baking, the residents personally presented the cakes they had made to their families, expressing their love through tangible actions, and allowing all the elderly residents and their families to share in this sweet achievement together—a heart-warming and touching scene.

This event not only fostered parent-child interaction but also added a unique touch of heartfelt sentiment and cherished memories to Father’s Day. It is hoped that this will encourage family members to spend more time with their elderly loved ones, repaying their upbringing with acts of kindness.