PSSA 2011 - Corporation Category Award Winner

Singapore Press Holdings Limited

Singapore Press Holdings Limited (SPH) has been actively contributing to charitable causes for 25 years. It encourages a high level of involvement in social service among its staff through initiatives such as granting two half days off annually for each staff member to be involved in volunteer activities, and the setting up of the SPH Staff Volunteers Club to promote staff volunteerism more effectively.

Over the last 10 years, SPH has contributed an average of one percent of its profit to charitable and social causes, and has set up the SPH Foundation in 2003, which is a registered charity that contributes $200,000 yearly to charities that serves children and youth. In addition, SPH pledges an annual donation of $200,000 in aid of causes related to the elderly sick and the destitute. To recognise its steadfast support towards charities, SPH was presented the Corporate Platinum Award by Community Chest in 2010.

SPH has been highly effective in heightening public awareness about their charitable efforts by providing generous media coverage for the causes supported by them. An established example is The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, where regular editorials and print advertisements are featured to appeal to readers to make their donation. Since its launch in 2000, it has successfully raised over $39 million to help 85,000 needy students with their school-going expenses.

Philanthropic activities by SPH have always strove to be creative and far-reaching. The SPH Chinese Newspaper Division held a Charity Gala Dinner cum Tang Dynasty Fashion Show in 2010 to raise more than $230,000 for the President’s Challenge. The New Paper also partnered Lions Befrienders Service Association and Ngee Ann Polytechnic to launch the Project Helping Hands in 2010 to improve the safety of elderly living alone. They installed wireless motion sensors in their apartments, which track the residents’ movement and sends an SMS to their caregivers if unusually long motionless period is detected.

A long-standing organisation with strong offering of ingenuity in their contributions to charitable causes, SPH has touched the lives of many in the community.

PSSA 2011 winners: