Our social investments in FY06 saw close to S$40,000 spent on 12 events and initiatives, including the Innovation Week Charity Drive 2006 and ‘A Very Special Walk’.

Innovation Week fund-raising drive
This event from 15 to 23 September 2006 raised S$15,540 for the MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore) Youth Group. During that week, a total of 777 ideas were generated for the ‘Ideas for Charity Campaign’ under the company’s Annual Core Values Campaign Innovation Week. For each idea that was generated during this week-long event, the company donated a certain amount to the MINDS Annual Camp held for over 200 campers with intellectual disabilities. The annual camp is organised to expose the intellectually disabled to unfamiliar environments that are distinctively different from the comfort zones of their homes. It also serves to foster stronger ties and understanding between these special needs youths and the volunteers.

Participation in ‘A Very Special Walk’
As part of our efforts to help children with special needs, since 2005, under the umbrella of the National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS) Group, PowerSeraya and its staff have supported the annual "Very Special Walk", a fund-raising event in aid of the Pathlight School for autistic children. The funds raised were used for the construction of the new school which is also home to the Autism Resource Centre (ARC). On 14 July 2007, 35 staff and their families participated in ‘A Very Special Walk’ at Bishan Park. We matched staff donations dollar for dollar and donated S$2,856 for a new school. On 12 July 2008, the same charity initiative was held but this time the funding focus was on the Social Enterprise Unit of the ARC which helps to provide the children with a blend of mainstream academics and essential life skills learning.

Volunteering time for children of Child@Street 11
Staff volunteers participated in a NEMS (National Electricity Market of Singapore) organised outing for Child@Street 11, a non-profit organisation which helps young children from low-income and dysfunctional families. In 2006 and 2008, our staff took time off their work commitments to accompany these children for a trip to the Science Centre and the Butterfly Park at Sentosa respectively.

Staff contributions to the needy
PowerSeraya subscribes to the SHARE (Social Help and Assistance Raised by Employees) programme, where employees give to the Community Chest on a monthly basis through their salary. Our support for the SHARE programme saw PowerSeraya being awarded the Bronze SHARE award. In FY07/08, the company increased the number of SHARE contributors and amount of contributions by 18 % and 39% respectively. The Community Chest is a fund-raising arm of National Council of Social Service with the purpose of ensuring that every person has the opportunity to live a life of dignity to his or her fullest potential within our society. Our company is glad to facilitate the raising of funds through the SHARE programme and in so doing, support charities that can care for and serve the less advantaged.

(The contributions made through the SHARE programme are not included in the social investment figures shown in this report as these are direct contributions made by employees and not by the company).