Anne Wang-Liu could be considered a master of planning. "I keep a relatively organised schedule of everybody's activities," says the mother of two young girls. "And I keep a very detailed running list of what needs to be done. For the children, I have a spreadsheet, actually, of all their activities - we try to fit in Chinese, English, music, sports, dance. They lead a very active lifestyle."
Born and raised outside New York City, Wang-Liu studied economics at Cornell University before working in finance. Since moving to Hong Kong 10 years ago with husband Julian Liu, project director for Shangri-La Resorts and Hotels, she has brought her planning skills to a number of charitable causes, including the Hong Kong Ballet and the newly opened Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre.
Wang-Liu, who is co-chair of this year's Nutcracker Benefit for the Hong Kong Ballet, shares a love of dance with her daughters. "Like my children, I grew up playing tennis, piano, and I danced as well. My mother also kept us very well-rounded," she says.
The luncheon benefit, one of the few family charity events in Hong Kong, includes a miniature version of performed by the committee members' children - including Wang-Liu's. "There's a lot of co-ordination - for the venue, the show, the auction," she says. "I'm sure every charity knows any fundraising event takes a lot of planning."
These days, Wang-Liu is not preparing just one major benefit. She's also working on an event for Maggie's, a centre on the grounds of Tuen Mun Hospital that offers free social and psychological support to patients and loved ones affected by cancer.
"I became involved because I had a few family friends, recently, who became affected by cancer. So when I was approached to co-chair the fundraising for Maggie's, I was happy to help because I felt like, particularly in Hong Kong compared to other countries, we're lacking in emotional and psychological support for these patients," she explains. "At Maggie's, you have everything from art and music therapy to meditation to counselling and discussion groups on how to deal with hair loss, how to deal with your nutrition and the side effects of cancer itself."
Wang-Liu can often be seen giving tours to potential donors of the Frank Gehry-designed centre - named for Maggie Keswick Jencks, who came up with the idea for the first Maggie's Centre while being treated for cancer herself - or tending to the myriad details that come with planning a benefit.
"It's almost a second job. In banking, you're there all day, every day, but you can step away and go home. With this type of work, you're sort of there all day - even at night you're thinking about ways to improve," she says. "It's certainly like taking on another career."
At the end of the day, however, Wang-Liu's focus is her family and friends. "I really try to put my children to bed," she says. "Even if I'm unable to pick them up from school, I really try to make that homework and reading time with them."
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Helping hand
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