CapitaLand bags philanthropy award |
CapitaLand’s corporate social responsibility efforts through its philanthropic arm, CapitaLand Hope Foundation, have been recognised by Singapore’s National Volunteerism & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC). NVPC is a non-profit, non-government organisation that promotes and develops volunteerism and philanthropy in Singapore. Launched in 2004 by President S R Nathan, the National Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards recognises individuals, groups and organisations that have set best practice benchmarks in promoting the spirit of giving in Singapore. CapitaLand was awarded the philanthropy award in the corporate category for its outstanding corporate giving strategy. Presented by Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Minister from the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and Transport at an award ceremony on November 21, it was a joyous double celebration for CapitaLand as the day also marked the 9th anniversary of CapitaLand. Signature programmes for needy childrenEstablished in conjunction with CapitaLand’s 5th Anniversary Celebration in 2005, CapitaLand Hope Foundation has since launched several signature programmes for underprivileged children. In June 2009, it organised a “Back to School” shopping outing where CapitaLand volunteers brought needy students to buy school necessities at one of its malls using shopping vouchers donated by the Foundation. For some of the children from needy families, it was indeed a joyous day for them, shared Mr Lye Fei, CEO, Care Corner Singapore Ltd.  CapitaLand Hope Foundation, was launched in conjunction with CapitaLand’s 5th Anniversary Celebrations in 2005 Green initiatives have been incorporated into such philanthropic programmes as well. The Green for Hope project is a creative recycling programme encouraging primary students to help their less fortunate classmates in which the Foundation donated S$2 for every kilogramme of recyclable materials collected. This yielded over S$1 million in donation, which went to welfare funds of 154 primary schools in the first year. The principal of the top recycler, Mrs Elsie Poey from St. Margaret’s Primary School, shared that some of the funds went towards buying school necessities such as stationery and to defray transport expenses for the needy students.  Staff and students of St Margaret’s Primary with CapitaFrog, the green mascot of CapitaLand. The school collected the most recyclable materials to earn S$15,000 for its welfare fund Under Green for Hope 2009, CHF will award a “CapitaLand Green for Hope Bursary” worth S$280 to an underprivileged student in the school for every 100 kilogrammes of recyclable waste collected by participating primary schools between 1 July and 31 December 2009,  CapitaLand Muchuan Green Hope School: a sustainable and environmentally friendly facility that satisfies the education needs of underprivileged children in China The Foundation’s efforts have not been limited to local shores. CapitaLand collaborates with local authorities and charities in China to build CapitaLand Hope Schools and student dormitories. CapitaLand recently opened the CapitaLand Muchuan Green Hope School, co-funded by the Foundation. A sustainable and environmentally-friendly facility, the design was a result of a country wide design competition involving China architecture students who also had to incorporate the needs of students and teachers of the school. Staff volunteerism encouragedCapitaLand’s employees are also encouraged to give their time to help those in need. The company organises volunteer activities every other month. Staff are given three days of volunteer service leave each year. Those who commit all three days are given a little incentive – they get to choose a Singapore children’s charity to receive a S$500 donation from the Foundation. Other pro-volunteering policies, such as part-time or up to six days of no-pay volunteer leave are also made available to all staff.  The Foundation never fails to incorporate a “green” message to all of its charitable programmes Leaving a legacyThe backbone of success in CapitaLand’s philanthropic efforts stems from its top management commitment in fulfilling the company credo of “Building People”. By establishing CapitaLand Hope Foundation, a registered charity, as its philanthropic arm, committing to an annual donation pegged to its net profit and implementing pro-volunteerism policies, CapitaLand has ensured a legacy of giving back to the community within the company, in good times and especially in bad times. |
|||
| |||
