CCT ‘Gifts of Joy’ 2014 reached out to 480 beneficiaries
Teaming up with tenants and LASALLE College of Arts, CCT spread Christmas cheer in a meaningful and ‘green’ way
Singapore, 19 Dec 2014 – For the second year, CapitaCommercial Trust Management Limited (CCTML) has teamed up with its tenants from five office buildings for its ‘Gifts of Joy’ initiative. The difference this year being, CCT invited its tenants to volunteer alongside its staff. Together they brought the joy of Christmas right to the doorsteps of over 480 children and youths supported by Beyond Social Services (BSS).
From 1 to 16 December 2014, CCT tenants at Capital Tower, One George Street, Six Battery Road, Twenty Anson and Raffles City Tower deposited brand new toys and games, sports and stationery items into collection chests placed in the main lobbies of these five buildings. Over two-and-a-half days, 120 volunteers comprising CapitaLand employees and CCT tenants joined hands to wrap the items collected and distributed them door-to-door across five estates supported by BSS - Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Ho Swee, Henderson, Lengkok Bahru and Whampoa.
Ms Lynette Leong, Chief Executive Officer of CCTML, said, “Thanks to the generosity and support of our tenants and CapitaLand colleagues, CCT’s ‘Gifts of Joy’ 2014 garnered about 980 gifts for the 480 children and youths supported by Beyond Social Services. I am also pleased that we attracted twice the number of volunteers and reached out to about three times the number of beneficiaries this year. Encouraged by the warm response and positive feedback we received last year, we decided to give our tenants this opportunity to volunteer alongside our staff for a good cause. In addition to engaging our tenants on a regular basis and through flagship initiatives like the CCT Eco Race, teaming up with them to bring the joy of Christmas to these less privileged children is exceptionally meaningful for us.”
Mr Gerard Ee, Executive Director of Beyond Social Services said, “The personal touch of wrapping and delivering the gifts is an important gesture of friendship that we will highlight to our children. It is not just the gifts but the love that went into it.”
‘Gifts of Joy’ 2014 was made more meaningful by the warm support and participation of CCT tenants, not only through gift contributions but through the giving of their time.
Donating gifts and her time, Ms Diana Chen, a fund accountant at Amundi Asset Management at Capital Tower shared, “I adore kids and realise that while my own children are fortunate, there are many other children who may not be as blessed. ‘Gifts of Joy’ allows me to spread some warmth and love to these children this festive season and put my passion for gift wrapping to good use! I will participate in ‘Gifts of Joy’ again and will encourage my colleagues to donate gifts and volunteer their time for this worthy cause”
Volunteering for the first time is Ms Goh SM, project manager at Capital Tower-based GIC who roped in her brother to join her, “My brother and I are taking this wonderful opportunity by CCT to bring joy to these less privileged children. ‘Gifts of Joy’ is a unique initiative as it allows us to bond with colleagues and family members, as well as make new friends while contributing to a good cause. The true spirit of Christmas is about giving what we can and no effort is too small.”
‘Green’ is the new red this Christmas
In addition to working with tenants to bring Christmas cheer to less privileged children, CCT also rallied its tenants to usher in the festive season in an environmentally-friendly way. A two-week collection drive for used plastic bottles was organised at six CCT’s office properties. Working with 200 bottles contributed by tenants, students of LASALLE 3 College of the Arts transformed them into an aerial art work named Anemone which forms the centerpiece of this year’s festive decorations at Wilkie Edge, CCT’s integrated development located at 8 Wilkie Road.
Commenting on this sustainability initiative, Ms Leong said, “We would like to thank the tenants who contributed used plastic bottles for this year’s festive decorations at Wilkie Edge. While Christmas is traditionally a season of giving, we wanted to do something different this year in the spirit of conservation instead. Creating festive decorations out of recycled materials reflects CCT’s commitment to sustainability and is part of our on-going effort to ‘green’ our office environments for the well-being of our tenants. This collaboration with LASALLE is also our small way of supporting the local arts education community. Depending on the feedback from the Wilkie Edge tenants, we may consider exploring similar initiatives for our other office developments next year.”
Anemone is a culmination of the efforts by students of LASALLE to recycle plastic bottles into something unique and beautiful. For this transformation, they have breathed new life into these vessels, while working to combat the harmful effects of pollution by reducing waste. The shape and style of each ‘bottle-flower’ is calculated mathematically and the result is an intricate, undulating landscape of curves and tinted exteriors. Tinted in bright, joyful colors, each ‘bottleflower’ is a reference to the winter flower, anemone. It is meant to be a visual getaway into an abstract, unusual, almost surreal world, glowing from within a faint light, which seems to add movement to the structure. It serves as a symbol of the immense creative power of the human mind, and our endless quest for beauty.