Minister Commends YMCA for Encouraging Corporate Social Responsibility

Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008 Posted: 5:37:28PM HKT

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth & Sports, has commended YMCA for its efforts in encouraging and engaging corporations to embrace corporate social responsibility.

"YMCA has provided the platforms for sustainable community partnerships forged between corporations and voluntary welfare organisations,” he said.

Dr Balakrishnan will be one of the three Guests-of-Honour at the 9th YMCA Charity Golf that will be held this evening at the Tanah Merah Country Club, a fund-raising platform for the YMCA-Lim Kim San Volunteers Programme.

Seventeen corporations have already confirmed their participation including: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Citibank Singapore, CMIA Capital Partners, Keppel FELS Ltd, Knight Frank Pte Ltd, Lee Kim Tah Holdings, Lum Chang Holdings Limited, NTUC Fairprice, NUS Business School, Pacific Richfield Marina Pte Ltd, PowerSeraya Ltd, Seraya Energy Pte Ltd, Singapore Press Holdings Ltd, Stamford Tyres Corporation Ltd, Superior Multi-Packaging Ltd, Times Publishing Ltd and the Wala Wala Group.

The YMCA-Lim Kim San Volunteers Programme focuses on: Promoting volunteerism in Singapore, attracting and retaining volunteers to undertake sustained service in specific service programmes, developing volunteer capabilities through training and development courses, appreciating and recognising the volunteers’ efforts and dedication, and managing the volunteer relations.

The programme’s ethos is that with relevant training and recognition given, volunteers can better serve the needs of intellectually, mentally, physically challenged beneficiaries, out-of-school youth, youth-at-risk, underprivileged and abused children, the elderly and the poor.

To date, the programme has raised $200,000 through corporate flights and cash donations.

PwC, one of the participating corporations, recently partnered with YMCA in its efforts in corporate social responsibility (CSR). Through the YMCA International Service Programmes, which aim to improve the children’s quality of life with the hope of helping them breaking out of the poverty cycle, PwC participated in two overseas community service trips to Shanghai where a total of 21 PwC Singapore volunteers, comprising both partners and staff, worked together with their Shanghai counterparts to teach English to underprivileged children and refurbish the libraries of two schools for migrant children.

PwC also participated in the Y Nature Walk, a quarterly local programme under the YMCA-Tan Chin Tuan Community Service Programmes, whereby 65 PwC staff volunteers went on a nature walk at Kent Ridge Park on 17 July with 40 intellectually challenged beneficiaries from the Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN). PwC is also in discussions with YMCA to explore participating in several different local community service programmes a year.

When interviewed on why PwC partnered with YMCA, Ms Deborah Ong, Human Capital Partner of PwC, commented: “We have been doing CSR programmes locally and we began a search for overseas community projects. We wanted to work with a partner that had a track record of engaging with the local communities. We also wanted a programme that facilitates collaboration among our staff locally and regionally as well as one that can tailor service opportunities for staff to contribute in innovative ways. YMCA therefore was the perfect organisation to work with as it had both established local and overseas community projects for PwC to attain these objectives.”

Mr S Dhanabalan, Chairman of Temasek Holdings and one of the Guests-of-Honour at the Golf Tournament, also commented on YMCA’s impact on local volunteerism: “The YMCA-Lim Kim San Volunteers Programme was launched to address the relatively low rate of volunteerism in Singapore. YMCA is doing much to mobilise volunteers in its various services to the community. In 2007, YMCA mobilised 1,400 volunteers in 2007 to reach out to over 1,000 beneficiaries in 17 voluntary welfare organisations. A total of 170 structured and sustained activities that include gardening, reading, adventure, singing and dancing were organised to enrich the lives of the beneficiaries.”

The Golf Tournament was held this morning at 11.45 a.m. The Golf Dinner will be held this evening at 7.30 p.m. at the Garden Banquet Room, Garden Course, Tanah Merah Country Club.

Nathanael Ng
nathanael@christianpost.com