Hong Kong’s popular travel ticketing wholesaler, Lotus Tours Limited, contributes to corporate social responsibility wholeheartedly by sending care and warmth to neighbouring countries. In response to the Japanese 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011, staff members of Lotus Tours hand-knitted scarves and delivered them to Japan. The scarves were distributed to victims of the tsunami via Salvation Army’s Japan Headquarters. Entire staff also visited Taiwan in December to actively engage in a fundraising bicycle tour in Taichung City to support the needy of Taiwan.
Lotus Tours Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Patrick Kong said, “In celebration of the forthcoming 55th anniversary of Lotus Tours, we continue our devoted spirit and passion in serving the society by raising the importance of social responsibility through connecting the caring minds of each employee.”
After the 311 earthquake, the Japanese economy and social stability were severely hammered, hitting especially the tourism market. In light of this, Lotus Tours chose Tokyo as the destination to organize a four-day company trip to reward staff members for their hard work, while over 200 staff members knitted scarves for residents of tsunami-affected areas. Over 400 hand-knitted scarves were distributed to tsunami-affected areas through the effort of Salvation Army’s Japan Headquarters. Staff members of Lotus Tours paid invaluable effort in scarf-knitting during their free time and over lunch; one of which totaling 17 scarves alone.
Lotus Tours has also set up a Twitter webpage for this special event (http://twitter.com/howRUdoingJAPAN) where photos of staff member along with their scarves and messages of concern in Japanese were uploaded onto the webpage, spreading their support and concern for Japan across boundaries.
Lotus Tours continued its dedication in social responsibility at the “Hello Taiwan!” company trip from 8 to 13 December, during which over 100 staff members endeavoured at a charitable bicycle tour at the Houfong Bikeway in Taichung City to raise funds for a local charitable organization that specializes in community-building.
The event was attended by Taichung City Tourism and Travel Bureau Director Mr. Chang Ta-Chun who officiated the kick-off ceremony. Lotus Tours also sponsored a group of high academic achievers from the Fung Kai No. 1 Secondary School, who lack opportunities to experience foreign culture, to take part in the Taiwan tour and fundraising event. The goal of the sponsorship was to allow the selected students to discover and enjoy Taiwanese customs and practices, while broadening their horizons. All students reflected that the trip granted them a priceless opportunity for an eye-opening experience while enriching their knowledge for the world.
In establishing its role as a travel expert in Taiwan, Lotus Tours hopes to enable its entire staff and students of Hong Kong to gain an in-depth understanding of Taiwan, while promoting cultural exchange between Hong Kong and Taiwan, and to spread its friendly corporate culture to the new generation of youth.
Hong Kong’s popular travel ticketing wholesaler, Lotus Tours Limited, contributes to corporate social responsibility wholeheartedly by sending care and warmth to neighbouring countries. In response to the Japanese 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011, staff members of Lotus Tours hand-knitted scarves and delivered them to Japan. The scarves were distributed to victims of the tsunami via Salvation Army’s Japan Headquarters. Entire staff also visited Taiwan in December to actively engage in a fundraising bicycle tour in Taichung City to support the needy of Taiwan. Read more
To help children with special needs to develop self-esteem and to enrich their social lives, AEGON Direct & Affinity Marketing Services Limited (ADAMS), a member of the AEGON Group, partnered with TREATS to organise “Jolly Balloon Go Go Go” on 5 November at Fanling Parents Resource Centre of the Heep Hong Society.
Sixteen ADAMS volunteers shared balloon twisting techniques and amusing interactive games with fifteen children aged 5-12. This was the first collaboration between ADAMS and TREATS, and they plan to continue organising similar activities to contribute to the community.
[caption id="attachment_5774" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The ADAMS volunteer team identified with the children, whose smiling faces encouraged them to participate in future volunteer work."][/caption]
Vera Chow, CEO of AEGON Direct & Affinity Marketing Services Limited, said, “ADAMS is committed to the community, and passionate about taking part in charitable programmes and volunteer work. We were delighted to participate in this activity together with TREATS to provide such a meaningful experience for these children. We look forward to organising more activities for children in need and with different backgrounds, and helping them integrate into society.”
The children took great delight in this enjoyable and memorable experience, which also made it possible to help them develop better interpersonal skills by making friends through the games. Kris Tong, Director of TREATS, said, “This meaningful activity not only provided wonderful entertainment for the children, but also helped build their self-confidence and social skills. We very much appreciate the support and participation of ADAMS.”
Arnold Chan of the ADAMS volunteer team was pleased to participate, “Prior to this activity, I had joined the balloon twisting workshop and learned how to interact with children with special needs. Although the children might not be able to express their feelings and needs in words, I am sure that the effort made and the time spent were very worthwhile when the children returned with great smile. We look forward to participating in future volunteer work as well.”
AEGON Direct & Affinity Marketing Services Limited is a member of the AEGON Group and a global leader in sales of insurance products through direct marketing. Established in 1979, a registered charitable organisation in Hong Kong and a member of the Community Chest of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service.
To help children with special needs to develop self-esteem and to enrich their social lives, AEGON Direct & Affinity Marketing Services Limited (ADAMS), a member of the AEGON Group, partnered with TREATS to organise “Jolly Balloon Go Go Go” on 5 November at Fanling Parents Resource Centre of the Heep Hong Society. Read more
Returns Invested in Children and Education (“RICE”), a Hong Kong and Singapore registered charity launched by Asia-based asset managers and their service providers, raised HK$600,000 in donations at the organisation’s first fundraising event in Hong Kong.
The event was attended by around 200 members of Hong Kong’s asset management community. This included fund managers and corporate service providers, such as prime brokers, lawyers, accountants and fund administrators.
Paul Smith, Head of Fundraising in Asia for RICE, said, “The Hong Kong launch event received tremendous support from individual donors, particularly fund managers and service providers who attended and generously supported through personal donations. The next stage is to secure the regular support of corporations, as their contributions are needed to ensure our projects for children in Asia are adequately funded."
After a strong start to the charity’s fundraising efforts in Hong Kong, RICE will actively work with corporate service provides and fund managers to establish regular contributions in 2012. This will be complemented by individual donations from members of the asset management community.
All donations are passed through to benefitting charities, as RICE’s administration costs are separately funded. Three children’s charities in 2011 have benefitted from RICE donations. These are: Goutte d'Eau - Damnok Toeuk, an organization in Cambodia working with children living with disabilities; Starchildren / CWS, an organization in Nepal working with children infected, and affected, by HIV/Aids and Angkor Hospital for Children, a paediatric hospital and education centre for Cambodian health workers.
RICE is currently reviewing a range of additional projects to support in 2012. These are likely to include Masoom in Mumbai India and M’Lop Tapang in Cambodia. Masoom’s mission is to enable night school students to achieve their full potential through educational and policy support. M’Lop Tapang works with more than 3000 children and 900 families at nine specialized centers in the Sihanoukville region of Cambodia. They provide shelter, medical care, sports, arts, education, training, counseling, family support and protection from all types of abuse.
RICE is a philanthropic organization with 100% of donations spent on improving the lives of children throughout Asia. Founded in 2006, The RICE fund was set-up by a small group of enthusiastic members of the Asian alternative asset management community, based both in Asia and globally. Their vision was, and remains, to support children and children’s educational projects within the region. With charitable projects located in Central and South East Asia, RICE has been continually increasing its support base, which includes the alternative asset management industry and the financial services industry that supports the organization.
Returns Invested in Children and Education (“RICE”), a Hong Kong and Singapore registered charity launched by Asia-based asset managers and their service providers, raised HK$600,000 in donations at the organisation’s first fundraising event in Hong Kong. Read more
Returns Invested in Children and Education (“RICE”), a Singapore‐established charity launched by Asia‐based alternative asset managers, recently announced that it has been officially registered as a Hong Kong charity. The move paves the way for RICE to begin fundraising activities in Hong Kong, which will generate donations and awareness for vital health, welfare and education projects across the region.
“We’re thrilled that RICE has been recognized and approved as a registered Hong Kong charity as we know that there is enormous willingness in the asset management community to support worthy causes, such as children’s education,” said Anne‐Marie Godfrey, Hong Kong Chief of RICE and a Partner at Bingham McCutchen LLP's Asia Funds Practice. “The Hong Kong registration also complements RICE's existing Singapore activities, where RICE has been registered and active since 2010, generating much‐needed support from generous benefactors working in asset management.”
Three children’s charities in 2011 have benefitted from RICE donations. These are: Goutte d'Eau ‐ Damnok Toeuk, an organization in Cambodia working with children living with disabilities; Starchildren / CWS, an organization in Nepal working with children infected and affected, by HIV/Aids and Angkor Hospital for Children, a paediatric hospital and education centre for Cambodian health workers.
RICE is currently reviewing a range of additional projects to support in 2012. These may include Masoom in Mumbai India and M’Lop Tapang in Cambodia. Masoom’s mission is to enable night school students to achieve their full potential through educational and policy support. M’Lop Tapang works with more than 3000 children and 900 families at nine specialized centers in the Sihanoukville region of Cambodia. They provide shelter, medical care, sports, arts, education, training, counseling, family support and protection from all types of abuse.
“The sole purpose of this charity has been to give back to the community in Asia and, in particular, to disadvantaged children. Without the support of charities like RICE, they may not have access to the fundamentals needed to have a quality life,” said Rebekah Pang, Director of RICE and an executive at Newedge Group. “We see an enormous opportunity to build upon the early success of RICE in Asia and establish a sustainable charity which harnesses the generosity of the asset management community to support the needs of children in the region for decades to come.”
Tessa Boudrie of Boudrie Advisory, the philanthropic consultant to RICE, added “RICE’s unique structure as an industry‐wide charity registered both in Hong Kong and Singapore will empower a strong portfolio of projects targeted at the welfare and education of children in the lesser developed parts of our region.”
The charity is driven by committees in both Hong Kong and Singapore and supported by a small board. Members are mostly drawn from the asset management industry and its service providers, who donate their time, expertise and resources for free.
A launch event will be held in Hong Kong on Tuesday evening, December 13, 2011 to help raise awareness and donations for RICE.
Returns Invested in Children and Education (“RICE”), a Singapore‐established charity launched by Asia‐based alternative asset managers, recently announced that it has been officially registered as a Hong Kong charity. The move paves the way for RICE to begin fundraising activities in Hong Kong, which will generate donations and awareness for vital health, welfare and education projects across the region. Read more
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. and the world’s largest express transportation company, has responded to the serious flooding in Thailand by donating US$15,000 to support the flood relief efforts, while at the same time delivering 500 survival kits (valued at 50,000 bhat) containing much-needed ready-to-eat, non-perishable food and other supplies to flood victims in Thailand.
FedEx couriers delivered the relief supplies to the Thai Red Cross and assisted with the delivery of these items to the areas affected by flooding. In addition, FedEx employees in Thailand also personally contributed 15,000 baht, which they donated to the Thai Red Cross.
“I am very proud of the way our employees and FedEx as a company came together so quickly to support the relief efforts,” said David Carden, managing director, FedEx Express Thailand and Indochina. “FedEx is a firm believer of giving back to our local communities where we live and work. Our employees consistently go above and beyond to do what is necessary to address the social needs of these communities.”
FedEx remains strongly committed to supporting several core giving areas including: emergency and disaster relief, pedestrian and child safety, education, and health and human services.
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. and the world’s largest express transportation company, has responded to the serious flooding in Thailand by donating US$15,000 to support the flood relief efforts, while at the same time delivering 500 survival kits (valued at 50,000 bhat) containing much-needed ready-to-eat, non-perishable food and other supplies to flood victims in Thailand. Read more
DHL’s pioneering carbon offset solution DHL GOGREEN Carbon Neutral service is a positive new asset for environmentally-savvy financial institutions. DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, has contracts with several major banks for DHL GOGREEN Carbon Neutral services regionally and recently secured one global account. The fully-audited service enables customers to offset carbon emissions generated by international courier services by reinvesting in certified carbon management programs.
Standard Chartered Bank is the first bank to adopt DHL GOGREEN Carbon Neutral service globally, signing a worldwide contract to make 95 per cent of the bank’s international courier services carbon neutral. DHL GOGREEN Carbon Neutral service will be implemented in stages by Standard Chartered, with services up and running in China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States of America. The implementation is also on track for adoption in Japan and the Philippines. Approximately 2,000 tonnes of carbon emissions are expected to be offset each year, when DHL GOGREEN Carbon Neutral service is implemented in the majority of the bank’s global network.
“As the world’s leading logistics company, DHL has a responsibility to address the environmental challenge. We are doing that by creating sustainable logistics services like DHL GOGREEN Carbon Neutral service that meet the global needs of customers such as Standard Chartered Bank which require innovative solutions that are effective across all business units globally,” said Jerry Hsu, CEO, DHL Express Asia Pacific. “Energy efficiency is one of the most significant ecological challenges that we face in the transportation sector and as a group, we are constantly looking at innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint and create sustainable solutions for our customers.”
DHL GOGREEN Carbon Neutral service is designed to offer companies a more environmentally-responsible shipping option by calculating carbon emissions generated by transporting each shipment point to point. Emissions are offset by reinvesting in certified carbon management programs such as a biomass and a hydro power plant in India and Brazil and a wind farm in China. Customers can choose to send all or a selection of their international shipments using the DHL GOGREEN Carbon Neutral service. For a surcharge, DHL will offset the carbon emissions for international air express shipments. Ensuring accountability and transparency, the programme is annually verified by an independent certifying body – the Swiss-based Société Générale de Surveillance. Customers receive certification from DHL stating the total amount of CO2 offset on their behalf during the year.
DHL’s own global sustainability program aims to improve carbon efficiency by 30 percent by 2020 [benchmarked to 2007 levels]. In 2010, DHL Express Asia Pacific achieved a 14.1 percent improvement in CO2 efficiency1 year-on-year in its real estate and ground transport operations, despite a 10 percent increase in total CO2 emissions.
DHL’s pioneering carbon offset solution DHL GOGREEN Carbon Neutral service is a positive new asset for environmentally-savvy financial institutions. DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, has contracts with several major banks for DHL GOGREEN Carbon Neutral services regionally and recently secured one global account. The fully-audited service enables customers to offset carbon emissions generated by international courier services by reinvesting in certified carbon management programs. Read more
DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, organized Global Volunteer Day activities between the 1-10 September 2011. Over 50,000 employees, customers and business partners participated in more than 600 projects this year.
In Hong Kong, DHL Hong Kong held five activities to help children, people in need and the elderly, in line with its three corporate responsibility pillars – GoGreen, GoTeach and GoHelp. Participants were between 6 and 90 years old.
In addition to its annual “DHL Blood Donation Drive” and “Goods Donation Drive”, DHL collaborated with Hans Andersen Club, a non-profit organization that serves underprivileged families and kids, to launch “Organic Green Living Outing”, “DHL Mini Rugby Carnival” as well as “Mooncakes Donation Drive”. These activities encouraged DHL staff and customers from all walks of life to take on volunteerism and promote social harmony.
Mr. Ken Lee, Managing Director, DHL Express Hong Kong, said, “As the world's leading logistics company, we believe the balance between corporate, social and environmental needs is the key to sustainable business development. DHL has been consistently promoting its core values via our GoGreen (protecting the environment), GoHelp (helping the underprivileged) and GoTeach (championing education) programs. We remain committed to ‘Living Responsibly’.”
“Organic Green Living Outing”
The educational “Organic Green Living Outing” to YWCA Farm of Healthy Ageing in Fanling on 3 September 2011 saw more than 50 DHL volunteers and children as young as six years old from Hans Andersen Club participating. The outing aimed to promote conservation and organic farming, and bring together the young and old. Participants were mentored by the farm’s senior volunteers. The most senior volunteer was a 90-year-old grandmother, who exemplified the spirit of age is no barrier to achieving anything in life. In addition to organic farming, the outing also included a series of green-themed entertainment such as potting and bread making, allowing the children to experience an organic life.
Mr. Edward Hui, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding, Hong Kong, Macau and South China, said, “At DHL, our long term commitment is to respect and protect the environment; ensuring sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. The ‘Organic Green Living Outing’ is a meaningful program that cultivates green living habits and benefits the community. We were delighted to participate in an event that symbolizes our desire to protect the planet, and at the same time, enables the elderly to recognize their abilities and contribute to a green environment.”
“DHL Mini Rugby Carnival”
As the Official Logistics Partner of Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011), DHL supported youth rugby development in Hong Kong through sponsoring the Te Aka Aorere Mini Rugby Tournament 2011 on 10 September 2011, co-organized by the New Zealand Consulate- General in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Rugby Football Union and Hong Kong Mini Rugby Football Union. DHL also organized a “DHL Mini Rugby Carnival” on the same day. Over 50 DHL volunteers hosted a group of children from the Hans Andersen Club at the event, where they had fun experiencing positive rugby spirit and learned more about New Zealand culture.
“Mooncakes, Goods and Blood Donation Drives”
As Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, DHL prepared more than 80 sets of mooncakes with reusable DHL Balloon LED plastic lanterns for the children from Hans Andersen Club. At the same time, DHL encouraged employees to donate their extra moon cakes to low-income families through St. James Settlement. This act does not only reduce wastage, but also shares the festive joy and happiness among more people. Other activities for this year’s Global Volunteer Day include the “Goods Donation Drive” co-organized by Christian Action to help the needy and to support recycling initiatives; and the “Blood Donation Drive” coorganized by Hong Kong Red Cross to encourage employees to help save lives.
“Our community is made up of people from different walks of life and everyone possesses their innate potential. With proper guidance and opportunity, their true potential can shine. Acting on this belief, a wide range of volunteer activities has been organized this year. By showing care to the underprivileged and the elderly, we served the community and also fostered cohesion among our employees. We will continue to actively participate in charity events, help the needy, and promote living responsibility in order to create a brighter future for corporations, society and the next generation,” said Mr. Tom Wong, Managing Director, DHL Supply Chain, Hong Kong and Macau.
DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, organized Global Volunteer Day activities between the 1-10 September 2011. Over 50,000 employees, customers and business partners participated in more than 600 projects this year. Read more
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