Earlier last month, r é n collaborated with our friends over at Bird & Bird for our “Be A Good Egg” event, which was funded by the law firm and hosted at their office. Staff and their children enjoyed crepes made by Bain Marie, scones with clotted cream prepared by the Mira Hotel, and jams made by Wilson Fok, including a delicious lemon curd. The crepes and lemon curd were made using r é n eggs, and participants also purchased items from our holiday collection, including scented candles, soft cotton throws and Christmas stockings.

“At Bird & Bird, we take seriously our responsibility to provide our employees with opportunities to learn about the needs of the local community and to lend their support. This includes working with charities and social enterprises to build awareness, offer practical and legal help, and participate in fund-raising events,” explains Diana Purdy, head of the law firm’s Employment team in Hong Kong and China and co-lead of their CSR Committee.

“When Jo told me about r é n’s R21 Youth Programme that provides social and career support for individuals with Down Syndrome and special educational needs, I invited Jo to speak with me, Alice Wong who co-heads our China offices, and our head of HR, to better understand the needs of R21 and explore how we could contribute. As an employment lawyer, I am used to dealing with discrimination issues in the workplace, so this was a cause close to my heart. Knowing that R21 provides public education to combat discrimination against individuals with learning difficulties and supports them in finding meaningful employment, this really resonated with me and my colleagues at Bird & Bird.”

On top of the pop-up, Bird & Bird staff were invited to purchase our r é n eggs for themselves and for the asylum seeker beneficiaries of Branches of Hope, a share of the proceeds of which contribute towards our employment and training programmes, while our beneficiaries came in to meet the staff, including our very own Programme Coordinator Nathan Leung, who gave the firm a presentation on his experience with r é n.

“Our employees found both the event and the opportunity to purchase r é n eggs deeply meaningful,” Diana reflects. “They came away with a greater appreciation that individuals with special educational needs are capable of performing important jobs and deserve broader support. By supporting programmes such as R21, we not only empower individuals with special educational needs to thrive in meaningful employment, but we also help build a more inclusive society in which everyone’s contributions are recognised and valued.”