CSR briefs

Students honour "sharing" NIST students have participated in the MechaiViravaidya Foundation's "Green Village Toy Library" initiative, becoming the latest youth philanthropists in Thailand

On January 8, Mechai Viravaidya, chairman of the Population and Community Development Association, and the MechaiViravaidya Foundation visited NIST to collect hundreds of children's toys donated to the foundation by NIST students.

The initiative, in collaboration with Mechai and MechaiViravaidya Foundation, started with a special presentation to the students by Mechai last November. As "service" and "action" are an integral part of NIST's International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, the students were inspired to take on the challenge of organising a toy drive.

"During this experience, I've learnt how to give and be generous. The people in the Thai villages aren't as fortunate as us and I'm proud that Year 5 has made other children, who don't have a lot, be happy," said Nayla, one of the Year 5 students.

"This initiative enabled our Year 5 students to gain a greater insight into the lives of their peers in rural Thai villages. They enjoyed the opportunity to learn about, promote within their school and organise an initiative that will make a great difference to the quality of life for other children," said Chris Boreham, elementary vice principal.

"The Village Toy Library embodies one of the most important human elements - and that is sharing. The students of NIST are sharing some of what they have with deserving rural students who can borrow the toys for one week and in return they have to perform community service and clean-up activities in the village. This is the beginning of the new philanthropic endeavour, among the youth, in Thailand, which we call 'CSR - Children's Social Responsibility'," Mechai said.



Volunteering power

Throughout the world, companies have realised the power of volunteering, starting with their own employees.

New York-listed MGM Resorts International recently disclosed that last year, its employees donated more than 113,000 volunteer hours to the community, far surpassing the corporate goal of 100,000 hours set by Jim Murren, chairman and CEO. A total of 850 charitable organisations benefited from the employees' community service last year.

The value of time donated by MGM Resorts' employees is estimated at more than US$2.1 million, according to the Independent Sector, an organisation that calculates the value of volunteer work. In Nevada, each hour of volunteer work is worth $18.82.

"It's true that these are challenging times for our state and nation. Volunteerism, like charitable giving, has suffered a bit as families look inward. And yet, in every corner of our state, members of the Nevada family continue to step up and give up their time. So today, we proudly recognise some stand-out individuals and organisations who have given of their time, treasure and talent," said Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, who recently awarded the company the 11th Annual Nevada Governor's Points of Light Award.

The award is set out to honour outstanding volunteers and volunteer programmes across the state with finalists and award recipients in six categories. MGM Resorts is the first company in the gaming industry to receive the prestigious award.

"Thanks to the tireless efforts of our employees, last year's volunteer challenge was met with great enthusiasm," Murren said. He applauded employees. "Continue to inspire your co-workers to make a difference and keep up the great work that you personally put into making our company, community and world a better place."

Groupon aids fund for slum children

Groupon Thailand, a global pioneer and leader in local e-commerce, has joined a partnership with the Foundation for Slum Child Care (FSCC) to offer a special "Groupon for Children" deal to help underprivileged children.

This initiative invites members of the public to donate Bt49, Bt99 or Bt199 through www.mygroupon.co.th to support the FSCC in providing children in need with meals, milk and education.

As of January 29 - only six days after the launch of the campaign - Groupon had already donated 420 deals, worth a total of more than Bt100,000. The campaign runs until todayFebruary 6, 2013 and donations are 100-per-cent tax deductible.

All proceeds will be donated to the FSCC to support activities that enhance the quality of life for children living in slums. To join the campaign, please visit http://gr.pn/fscc (Thai) or http://gr.pn.fscc/en (English) or www.mygroupon.co.th.

The FSCC, which was established under the Royal patronage of the late HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, is a leader in improving quality of life for babies and young children in slums by generating awareness and involvement among family, community and society members. - The Nation



Samsung's 'Gift for Life' to hospital

Samsung Galaxy is making a "Gift for Life" to provide medical equipment to the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health (Children's Hospital).

The campaign, called "One Click Saving Kids", launched via the Galaxy Gift Mobile application and Facebook, aims to ensure the nation's future and boost Thai children's health so they can grow up in a healthy environment, both physically and psychologically.

Wichai Pornpratang, vice president of telecommunication Business, Thai Samsung Electronics, said that in 2012, Samsung Galaxy smart phones, tablets and notebooks have received good feedback from consumers nationwide. To give back to society, Samsung therefore created the Samsung Galaxy "Gift for Life" campaign to provide funds to purchase medical devices for children under treatment at Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health. The hospital treats more than 350,000 people annually. The campaign aims to allow them to fully recover from their illnesses in accordance with the vision of Samsung worldwide to create and develop projects that can improve children's living conditions around the world, Wichai said.

"On this occasion, Samsung would like to ask Thai people to be a part of our project, which is a kind of merit making and kindness-delivering project to children on Valentine's Day [February 14] for free with the 'One Click Saving Kids' activity. This activity can also be shared among friends or colleagues so that everyone can be helping hands in raising Thai children to completely grow up both physically and psychologically through Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health (Children's Hospital), a responsible governmental body in children's health. Everyone can choose to give any of the following top three pieces of medical equipment that is most in need: Baby incubators with full life-support equipment; automatic resuscitator; and brain surgery equipment, free of charge and anywhere anytime through the Galaxy Gift application for smart phones, tablets and notes from Samsung Galaxy or on Samsung Mobile Thailand Facebook. You can also write your own words and blessings to children at the website," Wichai continued.







Samsung's 'Gift for Life' to hospital

Samsung Galaxy is making a "Gift for Life" to provide medical equipment to the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health (Children's Hospital).

The campaign, called "One Click Saving Kids", launched via the Galaxy Gift Mobile application and Facebook, aims to ensure the nation's future and boost Thai children's health so they can grow up in a healthy environment, both physically and psychologically.

Wichai Pornpratang, vice president of telecommunication Business, Thai Samsung Electronics, said that in 2012, Samsung Galaxy smart phones, tablets and notebooks have received good feedback from consumers nationwide. To give back to society, Samsung therefore created the Samsung Galaxy "Gift for Life" campaign to provide funds to purchase medical devices for children under treatment at Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health. The hospital treats more than 350,000 people annually. The campaign aims to allow them to fully recover from their illnesses in accordance with the vision of Samsung worldwide to create and develop projects that can improve children's living conditions around the world, Wichai said.

"On this occasion, Samsung would like to ask Thai people to be a part of our project, which is a kind of merit making and kindness-delivering project to children on Valentine's Day [February 14] for free with the 'One Click Saving Kids' activity. This activity can also be shared among friends or colleagues so that everyone can be helping hands in raising Thai children to completely grow up both physically and psychologically through Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health (Children's Hospital), a responsible governmental body in children's health. Everyone can choose to give any of the following top three pieces of medical equipment that is most in need: Baby incubators with full life-support equipment; automatic resuscitator; and brain surgery equipment, free of charge and anywhere anytime through the Galaxy Gift application for smart phones, tablets and notes from Samsung Galaxy or on Samsung Mobile Thailand Facebook. You can also write your own words and blessings to children at the website," Wichai continued.