Singapore, 18 August 2013 — Home-grown infocommunications provider StarHub believes in walking the talk and they did just that this morning at the Community Chest Heartstrings Walk 2013. Returning as a Presenting Partner, about 190 StarHub employees and their families and friends and took a stroll around scenic Marina Bay with 18 VIPs: beneficiaries from the Asian Women’s Welfare Association’s (AWWA) Teach Me programme and Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore’s (CPAS) Goodwill Rehabilitation & Occupational Workshop (GROW) programme.
Teach Me—a Community Integration Support (CIS) programme for persons with physical disabilities—provides clients with age-appropriate skills to adjust to the demands of mainstream education and meet their individual developmental milestones. GROW provides pre-vocational training and sheltered employment for adults with cerebral palsy aged 16 years and above to prepare them for supported and open employment and integration into mainstream society.
Both AWWA and CPAS will each receive $100,000 of the $300,000 donation from the StarHub Sparks Fund, while the third beneficiary is SUN-DAC which provides day activity services for persons aged 16 to 60 with intellectual disabilities who cannot be placed in open or sheltered employment, or whose family members are unable to care for them during the day.
Some of the donations from StarHub will go towards assisting AWWA’s children with special needs gain admission into mainstream education, providing CPAS beneficiaries with the necessary skills for open employment and meeting the physical mobility and other therapy needs of SUN-DAC clients.
StarHub’s employee engagement of the beneficiaries is a reflection of the StarHub Sparks Fund's support of the less fortunate through education, skills enhancement as well as the fulfilment of basic needs.
"The focus of the StarHub Sparks Fund is to inspire youth like these and their families, to give them the same opportunities as their peers,” shared Tan Tong Hai, CEO, StarHub, who walked alongside the beneficiaries and StarHub employees in the morning. “The three beneficiary programmes to which we are donating were selected for their support of youth empowerment efforts.”
"Beyond corporate donations, StarHub also believes in involving our employees and their loved ones in our social outreach efforts," said Mr Tan, referring to the contingent of StarHub participants and their families. "These intimate encounters that we have with those less fortunate than ourselves are important. Not only do they help us to remember how lucky we are, but they will inspire us to make the most of our talents, in our work and in our personal lives."
“The ComChest Heartstrings Walk was more than just a bit of exercise for my family,” said Joyce Liang, from StarHub’s Enterprise Business Group, who was there with her family. “My children, husband and I were privileged to be able to interact with the beneficiaries from AWWA and CPAS. Learning how they cope with their challenges was altogether humbling, heart-warming and inspiring. It was also a great opportunity for us to be more thankful for what we have and our way of giving back to society.”
"I have never been to Marina Bay Sands before, so I was very happy to participate in this walk,” said S Dinesh, 21 from CPAS’ GROW programme. “I got to know more friends and can mix around with friendly volunteers from StarHub. I want to thank everyone for the experience and goodie bag. I hope to see everyone again next year."
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