Community Relations & Investments
Corporate giving at StarHub
Engaging stakeholders
Investing in our community
StarHub outreach through the years
Corporate giving at StarHub
StarHub has always firmly believed in being a responsible corporate citizen, giving back to the less fortunate in society. That is why we launched the StarHub IDD Charity Fund in July 2000, committing one percent of revenue earned from all IDD 008 and IDD 018 calls to charitable causes.
The Fund was renamed the StarHub Sparks Fund in August 2006. The Sparks Fund represents the company's sincere belief in corporate philanthropy, and aims to make a difference in the lives of the underprivileged by providing them with the same opportunities as their peers and empowering them to realise their dreams and ambitions.
The Sparks Fund logo features a spark dandelion, whereby the floating seeds of the dandelion represent the “pay it forward” effects StarHub hopes its philanthropic and volunteerism efforts will have on its beneficiaries.
As of mid-2012, the StarHub Sparks Fund has disbursed over $9 million to various charitable efforts and organisations.
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stakeholders
StarHub’s spirit of volunteering and serving is imbued in its culture and is practised by employees at all levels. This volunteerism was formalised by the company at the end of 2006, by providing each employee with up to two working days of paid volunteerism leave each year.
Since then, StarHub employees have volunteered increasingly greater number of days each year in corporate social outreach events organised by the company. In the first half of 2012 alone, 117 days or 994.5 hours were volunteered. Over the years, StarHub employees have also contributed their time, money and even hair in aid of the less fortunate.
Organisations that have been supported include Food from the Heart, Moral Home for Disabled, AWWA Community Home for Senior Citizens and Marine Parade Family Service Centre. Underprivileged children from the Central Singapore CDC Nurture Programme and Children’s Cancer Foundation also benefited from these efforts.
Beyond our employees, StarHub has also actively involved its consumers in its philanthropic efforts. Since February 2009, StarHub customers have the option to redeem a donation to charity with their StarHub Rewards Points. When a customer redeems a donation through the 'StarHub Rewards Redemption for Charity' programme, StarHub will contribute a stipulated amount from the StarHub Sparks Fund to a charity. MINDS Towner Gardens School (MINDS TGS) has been selected as the appointed charity for this initiative since 2009.
Up till July 2012, StarHub consumers have redeemed over $330,000 in donations for MINDS Towner Gardens School.
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community
StarHub's strategy for community relations and investments serves to strengthen, streamline and improve the company's commitment to its stakeholders, as well as the communities and market where it operates.
StarHub's contribution aims to encourage equality and the social integration of the less fortunate by fulfilling their basic needs and supporting opportunities to maximise human potential through training and skills enhancement.
We also aim to empower disadvantaged youth with the resources and platforms they require to uncover their talents and make a positive difference in their world.
Encouraging equality and the social integration of the less fortunate
StarHub and TVB Artistes visit Moral Home for Disabled
In January 2010, StarHub employees and TVB artistes from Hong Kong - Nancy Sit, Steven Ma and Sonija Kwok celebrated Lunar New Year with over 60 intellectually disabled youths at the Moral Home for Disabled. All the youths received gifts personally presented to them by the TVB artistes, and indulged in an afternoon of festivities and a sumptuous buffet spread.
In celebration of the Lunar New Year, StarHub made a contribution of an auspicious $88,888 from the StarHub Sparks Fund towards the Home’s Occupational Therapy programmes that reinforce vocational skills and help the intellectually disabled residents develop their independence.
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StarHub and TVB Artistes spread cheer to needy elderly
In October 2010, StarHub employees and TVB celebrities from Hong Kong, including Miss Hong Kong 2010 Toby Chan, visited AWWA Community Home for Senior Citizens, and enjoyed a session of games and sumptuous food with the 130 elderly residents.
StarHub donated $100,000 to the home in support of programmes that help elderly residents create an environment of mutual care and support, including programmes that offer guidance and counselling to the residents. StarHub’s donation will also go towards funding the living expenses of the elderly residing in the home, and provide for their nursing and therapy needs.
StarHub celebrates Christmas with children from low income families
StarHub organised a Christmas carnival in December 2010 for some 400 underprivileged children and their caregivers, complete with game and food stalls and gifts aplenty. Over 70 StarHub employees, including Mr Kwek Buck Chye, Chief Financial Officer of StarHub, as well as Mr Zainudin Nordin, Mayor of Central Singapore District, shared a fun and meaningful afternoon with the children and their caregivers. StarHub employees also chipped in to contribute special Christmas gifts, including toys and educational game sets for the children.
Adding to the festive cheer, StarHub presented a donation of $100,000 from the Sparks Fund to the Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC) Nurture Programme—a literacy programme started by Central Singapore CDC that caters to children aged four to 12 from low income families. StarHub's donation goes towards funding enrichment activities that aim to help these children break out of the poverty cycle through education and training.
In 2011, StarHub volunteers began participating in the Nurture programme, through developing enrichment programmes and learning excursions for the children. This focus on children and the youth saw StarHub sponsoring the tuition of 165 children in the Fengshan-Jade district for the 2012 school year. We also brought children from this programme to various excursions, starting with a SRT performance of Jack & The Beanstalk in November 2011, an exclusive meet-and-greet with Disney’s Debby Ryan in May 2012 and a special tour of Gardens by the Bay in September 2012.
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2012 also saw StarHub become the title sponsor of the Nurture Programme. A cheque for $200,000 was presented at an all-day Nurturing Stars Carnival that was held at *SCAPE for some 330 children from Central CDC. About 90 StarHubbers ran game, activity and food booths for the underprivileged children.
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Other youth-oriented efforts in 2012 included a terrarium-building exercise by StarHub volunteers with boys from Boys’ Town, where 60 terrariums were sold to raise $2,150, which was added to StarHub’s $200,000 for their Building Fund. Before the event, some of the boys were treated to the movie premiere of Jack Neo’s We Not Naughty, and even got to meet the two male leads of the movie.
In June 2012, 40 StarHub staff—including two females—shaved their heads in support of children with cancer and to raise funds for the Children’s Cancer Foundation, at a satellite event under the charity’s Hair for Hope initiative. Besides online and pledge card donations raised by the individual shavees, StarHub also donated $40,000—$1,000 for each shavee—to Hair for Hope.
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In July and the last few months of 2012, staff from StarHub’s SHINE department, which handles information technology, taught basic computer skills to elderly citizens from South East CDC. The response was very warm and the elderly citizens were extremely grateful to have received such personalised and patient coaching from StarHub staff.
In August 2012, StarHub fielded almost 200 StarHubbers with their friends and family members at Community Chest’s Heartstrings Walk 2012. They took 15 beneficiaries from Asian Women’s Welfare Association’s Teach Me programme on the walk as special guests. AWWA was one of the three beneficiaries of StarHub’s $300,000 donation at this event; the other two were Lutheran Community Care Services’ Enhanced STEP-UP programme and Yishun Students Care Service’s SYNC (School Social Work for Youth and Children) Programme.
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Supporting youth in championing social causes
StarHub, Grid MMS and *SCAPE, the National Youth Organisation, signed a Memorandum of Understanding in June 2010 to signal their intention to holistically develop youth talent and leadership through a range of new media initiatives.
As *SCAPE's preferred info-communications provider, StarHub provided sponsored info-communication solutions, including mobile, broadband, Wi-Fi and cable TV. StarHub also donated one million dollars in cash donations to *SCAPE for Grid MMS to drive programmes for youth and new media development.
This collaboration between the three parties led to the 2011 launch of the Now You Can Leadership Series, an annual competition to showcase youth talent, the development of programmes to nurture youth leadership, the championing of initiatives by youths to raise awareness of social causes and the development of youth-oriented content. StarHub and *SCAPE's strategic partnership complements the fusion of youth development, integrated media and technology.
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Contributing towards Singapore's quest for sporting excellence
Through a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Singapore National Olympic Council in November 2010, StarHub reaffirmed its commitment to the development of local sporting talent. StarHub will provide $800,000 over two years in cash and kind to support Singapore sports. The MOU will see StarHub and SNOC partnering to raise the profile of the Olympic movement and create general interest for sports in the country and the major games that the Singapore team will participate in.
Seven young Singapore athletes: Tao Li (Swimming), Jasmine Ser (Shooting), Sherman Cheng (Sailing), Justin Liu (Sailing), New Hui Fen (Bowling), Shinta Mulia Sari (Badminton) and Yao Lei (Badminton) have been selected as Partner Athletes under the SNOC Official Partnership Programme, whereby StarHub and SNOC will develop programmes with the athletes as role models to inspire youth and promote sports.
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Arts and Heritage
In 2010, StarHub was awarded the Friend of the Arts Award, awarded by the National Arts Council and a Friend of Heritage Award, awarded by the National Heritage Board for our contributions in the arts, heritage and museum sectors. The Awards are recognised as Singapore’s premier awards for the arts and heritage sectors at the national level.
Our Chief Executive Officer Neil Montefiore is personally a strong advocate of the arts scene in Singapore, and has been a Board member of the Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) since 1 July 2005. Since then, he has been active in appealing to and winning sponsors to support the Theatre’s events and productions.
One major achievement of Neil’s, after joining StarHub as CEO on 1 January 2010, was bringing the infocomms service provider on board as a Patron Sponsor of SRT since 1 March 2011. As a Patron Sponsor, StarHub supports SRT’s activities through both monetary and publicity contributions.
Helping Hands and Green Thumbs
From 2011, StarHub has started to incorporate pro-environmental elements in some of its social outreach efforts. In December 2011, 50 StarHub volunteers took 16 members from the Society for the Physically Disabled to clean up Changi Beach Park. We managed to collect 74 bags of rubbish from the beach and park areas.
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In February 2012, StarHub invited 42 boys from Boys’ Town to visit our HQ office to make terrariums with some 50 StarHub volunteers. Half of the terrariums were auctioned off to raise money for the Boys’ Town Building Fund, while the other half was for the boys to keep as mementoes. However, many proudly put their own terrariums up for sale as well, eagerly seeing how much money their efforts could raise for Boys’ Town.
outreach
2000
December: Funds from staff purchase of corporate gifts given to Handicapped Welfare Association (HWA)
December: 20 Siemens phones, Green Card and Top-Up Card given to Vocational School of the Handicapped
2001
April: Lightship Trip for Spastic Children's Association School
May: Lightship Trip for Autism Resource Centre
June: Donated 437 wheelchairs worth over $100,000 to 21 charity organizations
October: Provided food supplies and educational tools (PCs and printers), worth over $100,000, to 750 kids from 10 children's homes
October: Donated $5,000 and other proceeds to Children's Cancer Foundation for One Leg Kicking Charity Gala Premiere
December: Donated $100,000 of electrical items and food to The Boys' Brigade Sharity Gift Box
Donated $24,000 savings from eCard and $2,400 from sales of corporate gifts to staff to the Society for the Physically Disabled
2002
February: Donated $12,888 from LNY eCard to Singapore Children's Society
April: Sponsored $100,000 for daily meals for 830 elderly folk for the period mid-May to mid-July
December: Donated $100,000 to The Boys' Brigade Sharity Gift Box
2003
April: Donated $6,000 to Children's Cancer Foundation for their Wish Link Project
May: Bought $45,000 worth of assistive technology equipment for the Society for the Physically Disabled
July: Donated $100,000 to and participated in President's Challenge
December: Donated $100,000 to ComChest Care Corner Counselling Centre
2004
March: Donated $60,000 to the Singapore Red Cross Society for their blood donation drive
June: Supported ComChest's “Play Singapore” with $100,000
July: Donated $133,000 to and participated in President's Challenge
2005
January: Donated $100,000 to The Medical Foundation, supported by the Raffles Medical Group, to tsunami disaster victims
January: Donated $100,000 to Network Indonesia in aid of Indonesian tsunami victims
January: StarHubbers donated $78,000 to tsunami victims by selling cookies, washing cars and from own contributions
January: Donated $100,000 to rebuild schools in Aceh
August: Donated $100,000 to the Singapore Cancer Society
December: Donated $50,000 to The Boys' Brigade Sharity Gift Box
2006
February: Donated $10,000 to the Children's Cancer Foundation, in support of the American Association of Singapore
March: Donated 600 wheelchairs, worth $240,000, to 13 charity organizations
April: Donated $100,000 to Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society, to benefit over 50 hospitals, welfare services, centres, homes and programmes supported by the Society
April: Donated $10,000 to the Singapore Heart Foundation, Singapore Children's Society and the Pakistan Earthquake Rehabilitation Fund, in support of the Singapore Pakistani Association Gala Charity Dinner & Fashion Show
May: Donated $10,000 to the Singapore Cancer Society, in support of the AIA-SCS Charity Golf Event
June: Donated $332,323 to purchase equipment for nine special schools
July: Donated $20,000 to the Singapore Heart Foundation, to purchase equipment for heart patients
August: Donated $300,000 to Grace Orchard School, Metta School and Spastic Children's Association School, to support intellectual disability specialized programmes
December: Donated $200,000 to Club Rainbow (also announced launch of two days' volunteerism leave)
2007
March: Organised carnival for and donated $150,000 to Gracehaven (The Salvation Army)
June: Organised StarHub Golf Invitational for underprivileged children and youth; donated $200,000 to Moral EPIC Centre, Moral Family Service Centre (Bukit Panjang), Moral Home for Disabled and Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre
July: Took part in and contributed $500,000 to the Society for the Physically Disabled's Charity Show
September: Organised Mid-Autumn Festival for Metta Welfare Association and Metta School; donated $150,000 for the school's IT infrastructure
December: Organised Christmas carnival for The Spastic Children' Association of Singapore, and donated $25,000 for three treadmills
2008
January: Donated $67,890 worth of hampers, oranges, red packets and lunches, to 205 elderly residents living in one-room flats in the Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency; TVB artiste visit
May: Donated $200,000 to Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society and performed at the Thye Hua kwan Charity Show
May: Together with Nickelodeon, celebrated the birthdays of 200 children from over 10 organisations
June: Arranged for Joe Morrison, StarHub's football channel host, to speak to Teen Challenge Football Club; also donated $10,000 to Teen Challenge to renovate the kitchen and toilets of Teen Challenge DARE Centre
July: Donated $3,008 to Fei Yue Community Services' Early Intervention Programme for Infants & Children
July: Organised StarHub Golf Invitational for children with special needs; donated $200,000 to Rainbow Centre Margaret Drive School
July: Took members of the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) to NDP Preview and donated $43,000 to SPD
September: Broke fast with Pertapis Children's Home and contributed $19,899.23 worth of gifts
December: Took 50 children from Tanjong Pagar and Serangoon Moral Family Service Centres on a Duck Tour and party; also donated $100,000 altogether to the two Family Service Centres
2009
February: Launched StarHub Rewards Redemption for Charity Programme with a mini carnival for Minds Towner Garden School and $100,000 donation
October: Donated $200,000 to Eden School Building Fund and sponsored Eden School's Sports Day with $1,156.20
November: Organised Eden School Students Outing to SAFRA Jurong
November: Donated $200,000 to Grace Orchard School, in support of its programmes to help children with intellectual disabilities and autism
December: Contributed $220,020 for the StarHub Food First 4 Families Programme and goodie bags for the Christmas Celebration, under Food from the Heart
Contributed $62,990 to Minds Towner Garden School under StarHub Rewards Redemption for Charity Programme
2010
January: Organised TVB artist visit for youth at Moral Home for Disabled; also contributed $88,888 to Home's Occupational Therapy programmes
October: Organised a StarHub-TVB Charity Event for Asian Women's Welfare Association Community Home for Senior Citizens at Ang Mo Kio; donated $100,000
October: Committed to $1,500,000 donation to *SCAPE and Grid MMS over three years to support youth-oriented programmes
December: Contribution of $800,000 ($500,000 of which is in kind) over two years to Singapore National Olympic Council
December: Organised StarHub Christmas Celebration for the Underprivileged and donated $100,000 to Central Singapore CDC's Nurture Programme
Contributed $110,560 to Minds Towner Garden School under StarHub Rewards Redemption for Charity Programme
2011
May: Took part in ComChest Heartstrings Walk and donated $300,000
June: Painted wall mural at Spastic Children's Association School and donated $200,000
November: Took children from low-income families in Fengshan-Jade district to watch “Jack & The Beanstalk”; also donated $150,000
November: Fielded two teams at $6,000 for the inaugural ISCOS Futsal Challenge
December: Staff took members from the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) to clean Changi Beach Park; also donated $300,000 to SPD
Contributed $94,175 to Minds Towner Garden School under StarHub Rewards Redemption for Charity Programme
2012 (as of 30 September 2012)
January: Took youth from Boys' Town Singapore to a special preview of local film “We Not Naughty”
February: Organised a terrarium-building exercise and auction for staff and Boys' Town boys; raised $2,130 to add to corporate donation of $200,000 to Boys' Town Singapore Building Fund
March: Organised Nurturing Stars Carnival for over 300 children from low-income families in Central CDC; donated $200,000 as Title Sponsor of Central CDC's Nurture Programme
May: Sponsored Team YWB's (Youth Without Borders) team of adaptive paddlers for the World Club Crew Championship in Hong Kong, for $26,000
May: StarHub brought some children from their Fengshan-Jade RC Tuition Sponsorship to an exclusive Debby Ryan Meet-&-Greet session
June: Participated in Children Cancer Foundation's Hair for Hope initiative as a satellite shavee; about $18,500 in donations was raised and StarHub contributed another $40,000 ($1,000 for each staff shavee)
August: StarHub was a Presenting Partner of the Community Chest Heartstrings Walk and Vertical Marathon, with a $300,000 donation (to AWWA's Teach Me programme, Lutheran Community Care Services' Enhanced STEP-UP programme and Yishun Students Care Service's SYNC (School Social Work for Youth and Children) Programme.) Almost 200 StarHubbers walked with some 40 beneficiaries and treated them to snacks afterward
September: StarHub brought their top three Academy Fantasia finalists to host 35 children from their Fengshan-Jade RC Tuition Sponsorship
Contributed $62,370 to Minds Towner Garden School under StarHub Rewards Redemption for Charity Programme