KUCHING: Hock Seng Lee (HSL) yesterday kicked off its new “Healthy Bodies, Happy Minds” corporate social responsibility programme by improving a single mother’s home.
Good samaritans from HSL repaired the back portion of the building where the kitchen and toilets were, installed new doors and fixed sections of the walls at the home in Siburan, about 20km from here.
The company sponsored all the equipment, while some 40 staff, from the accounts section to the project management project, took part in the renovations.
Corporate affairs manager Shirley Loo said HSL selected Hope Place as its first “Healthy Bodies” collaboration partner due to the NGO’s strong track record for bringing together public and private sectors to aid society’s less fortunate.
“We are great admirers of Hope Place and its founder Kelvin Wan. Wan’s contribution to society is immeasurable. Hope Place was the top pick of this first ‘Healthy Bodies, Happy Minds’ group,” Loo said.
“Besides sponsoring Hope Place, Wan gave us a list of families whom we can directly help. We selected the Siburan family, as they are a family of three children headed by a single mother.
“Our staff took the opportunity to involve the children and taught them skills like planting vegetables. We also installed a new drying post for clothes and cleared the surroundings. A few staff members brought extra clothes and food for the family.”
Wan was pleased with the HSL-Hope Place collaboration. He said HSL stepped forward after reading about the family’s plight in the newspaper recently.
“There are many members of the public who need a helping hand. Hope Place was founded to help identify poor deserving families and match them with government welfare programmes and private donations. For this family, HSL stepped up. We hope for more future collaborations,” Wan said.
“Healthy Bodies, Happy Minds” is HSL’s new CSR initiative, a tie up between the human resources and corporate affairs departments.
All staff members are divided into monthly groups. Each group will organise a social outreach activity. They are given time off and a budget for their activity day.
Staff members are given freedom to plan their activities, while the management has given a loose guideline that the CSR should be towards a “caring society and greener environment”.
“We really want to make healthier lifestyles a part of our working culture. While health is an individual responsibility, we want our workplace to have a positive influence on our colleagues’ lifestyles,” said HSL executive director Simon Lau Kiing Kang.
“While HSL builds amazing infrastructure for Sarawak and great homes for our clients, we also want to help those who are less fortunate. A caring society is a better society. Many of us come from humble backgrounds and we have benefited from a helping hand. This is a virtuous cycle we want contribute to.”
HSL has set up a special CSR page on its website seeking for public ideas and feedback.
For more information, visit hsl.com.my, facebook.com/hopeplacekuching or facebook.com/kelvinwanvolunteerwork.
