Royal Golden Eagle partners Heartware Network in inaugural volunteering programme
Lindsay Wong
INDUSTRIAL group Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) launched a corporate volunteer programme in partnership with charitable youth organisation Heartware Network (HWN) on Monday (Nov 27).
As part of the Golden Hearts programme, which will commence in January 2024, RGE will work with HWN to curate regular volunteering opportunities for its employees and encourage volunteerism. The beneficiaries are seniors, special needs individuals, vulnerable children and other marginalised groups in Singapore.
The programme includes mentoring youth leaders from Heartware-East Coast Sustainable Youth Leadership Development Programme, helping seniors build digital skills, promoting physical activity and social interactions for special needs individuals, and fostering a sense of community for marginalised groups.
Tan See Leng, executive director of HWN, said: “We are deeply grateful for this opportunity to strengthen our partnership with RGE, which will not only provide us with additional resources to enhance our support for our youths and beneficiaries but also expand our reach, allowing us to effectively address the diverse and urgent needs of our communities.”
Golden Hearts will also include sustainable education. For example, RGE will host a workshop and provide learning opportunities at the RGE-NTU Sustainable Textile Research Centre to youth, where they can learn about how sustainable textile materials, processes and techniques contribute to a circular textile economy.
Benny Lee, RGE’s executive vice-president (external affairs), said: “Sustainability is not separate – it is actually integrated within our business philosophy. So when we started talking to HWN, we also realised that the youth are very passionate about this topic of climate change and sustainability. There’s an alignment of interest… (RGE) has a practical on-the-ground approach and example that we can share with people about how sustainability is done.”
The launch of Golden Hearts was witnessed by Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat, who also serves as the chief patron of HWN, at Gardens by the Bay on Monday.
The programme was launched on RGE’s Founder’s Day – the annual event’s key theme since 2019 has been volunteerism.
Lee said: “Founder’s Day provided an opportunity for our staff across the globe to volunteer once a year to organisations supporting individuals in need. After our first Founder’s Day, we persevered through the Covid years with the belief that we need to give back even more in times of crisis.”
He added that RGE’s goal in the longer term is to have a “network of networks” and to continue “encouraging a spirit of corporate volunteerism”.
Golden Hearts is expected to be a multi-year partnership between RGE and HWN.
HWN has been a long-time partner of Tanoto Foundation, the philanthropic organisation set up by RGE founder and chairman Sukanto Tanoto and his wife.
Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free.
Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.
