CapitaLand Group’s first CapitaLand Volunteer Day in conjunction with its 13th anniversary
200 senior management and staff rolled up their sleeves to provide 20 homes of the underprivileged with a “makeover”
Singapore, 15 November 2013 – CapitaLand Limited’s President & Group CEO,
A group-wide volunteerism initiative, the company provided staff time off from work to contribute towards enhancing the lives of underprivileged children. CapitaLand volunteers were divided into teams to refurbish and provide the homes of beneficiaries with a “makeover” by giving their walls and ceilings a fresh coat of paint. Refurbishment work includes cleaning, painting, improving lightings, and rearranging, repairing and assembling furniture. In addition, the beneficiaries will also be presented with desks, chairs, study lighting and fans to create a well-lit study area for their children to have a conducive learning environment.
CapitaLand, through its philanthropic arm, CapitaLand Hope Foundation (CHF), has identified beneficiaries under Beyond Social Services, Kampong Kapor Family Service Centre, ISCOS (Industrial & Services Co-operative Society Ltd)’s Yellow Ribbon Fund-ISCOS Fairy Godparent Programme and Thye Hua Kwan Family Service Centre @ Tanjong Pagar. Student Advisory Centre (SAC) is providing logistic support through its Home Improvement Programme to CHF. Besides funding from CHF to refurbish the homes, CapitaLand is also dedicating 1,700 man hours to CapitaLand Volunteer Day through the Volunteer Service Leave - paid leave for staff to do volunteer work - taken by staff volunteers.
“To encourage greater staff volunteerism, we allow our staff to take up to three days of paid Volunteer Service Leave each year. We are prepared to make such a big commitment in terms of our staff resources as we believe that it is not just about financial assistance but also about genuine care,
Jennifer (not her real name), mother of Diana (not her real name), a beneficiary of the CapitaLand Volunteer Day home improvement project, said: “We are very happy to be a beneficiary of CapitaLand’s home improvement project. My family is especially thankful that CapitaLand is helping us during this difficult period. This ‘new’ environment will provide our children with a more comfortable home. With new study desks and chairs, we will start making the effort to
Children beneficiaries under the initiative also received gifts in a form of educational items or household necessities worth up to S$250 through SAC’s Children’s Wishing Well
CapitaLand actively promotes volunteerism in its people, in line with its corporate values of building people to build for people and caring for the community. In fact, CapitaLand is one of the first companies in Singapore to
CapitaLand Volunteer Day is a key event in the series of community development activities rolled out over the months of October and November to commemorate the Group’s 13th anniversary. The other initiatives include the launch of Kids’ Food Fund, where CHF is partnering People’s Association to provide children beneficiaries with at least one healthy meal every school day in 2014, My Schoolbag and a group-wide international volunteer expedition to Sichuan, China to build homes for residents affected by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake which hit Qionglai City in April this year.
Since its inception in 2005, CHF has donated over S$21 million to support
Please refer to Annex A for details of the voluntary welfare
ANNEX A
Voluntary Welfare Organisations
Beyond Social Services
Beyond Social Services is a charity dedicated to reducing delinquency among children and youths from less privileged backgrounds. It provides guidance,
Kampong Kapor Family Service Centre
Kampong Kapor Family Service Centre serves in a community that has a large number of people residing in rental housings. We have proactively
Industrial & Services Co-operative Society Ltd (ISCOS)
Student Advisory Centre (SAC)
Student Advisory Centre is a
Our core work revolves around the alleviation of poverty through the relief of hunger, improvement of living conditions, advancement of education, financial assistance and so forth.
One of our key
Thye Hua Kwan Family Service Centre @ Tanjong Pagar
THK Family Service Centre @ Tanjong Pagar was set up in February 1991. Our
Our
ANNEX B
Beneficiaries’ Profiles
- Diana (not her real name), 14, lives with two families of 15 people, including her aged grandmother, five
siblings and five cousins, in a two-room rented flat. Her mother, Jennifer (not her real name), works as a clerk while her aunt sellskuih and works part-time as a home cleaner to support the two families. Her father suffered a stroke in 2012 and has since been unemployed. Without a proper study area, Diana, her siblings and cousins study at the dining table, on the floor inside their home and along the common corridor outside. Diana aspires to continue studies at ITE after she completes secondary school and her ambition is to be an educator.
- Kevin (not his real name), 6, suffers from global developmental delay and
dyslexia, and is suspected of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder andduchine muscular dystrophy. He was enrolled in a childcarecentre for the past three years but had to leave in July this year due to his condition. Without a proper study area, Kevin studies at the dining table. His mother, who was the sole breadwinner of the household, had to leave her job to take care of her two young children. They live in a two-room rented flat and has not had any income since July.