Want to see and hear your CEO sing? Employees of 15 firms got to do so when their bosses shared the stage with grassroots leaders and and beneficiaries to perform songs such as Rasa Sayang and Home at a charity event on Sunday afternoon.
"They were not bad for non-professional singers, I get to see another side of my boss," said Mr Lim Sai Kar manager at Laundry Network, who got to listen to his boss, Mr Chan Tai Pang, sing.
Their performance was just one of many programmes in a special garden party at the Istana for 1,500 elderly and children from low-income families, welfare homes and special needs schools.
The 15 CEOs are part of the 150-strong Project We Care CEO network, which encourages their employees to volunteer their time or money for good causes.
"We want to share the joy with these low-income families - they deserve more," said Mr Chan, whose company helped wash dirty linen and remove bedbugs for 320 low-income households.
The CEO of Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurants, Ms Wee Wei Ling, who heads the network, said: "It's important for CEOs to walk the talk, even though we are not the best singers." These corporate chiefs are mostly heads of small and medium enterprises and they have volunteered time or money in People's Association (PA) activities ranging from dinners for the low-income to sports camps for disadvantaged youth.
"SMEs always say they can't afford to donate money to charity. But they can encourage employees to volunteer their time too," said Ms Lee.
Beneficiaries of the carnival, which include disadvantaged youth and the elderly were also treated to free food, massages and jazz performances.
Ms Zaleela Hydrose, 47, brought her son Muhammad Khidir, 10, a Chao Yang school student to the carnival, where he built Lego motorcycles and played football. "Rarely does my son get to enjoy so much fun and games, it's a good Sunday out," she said.
The PA said it was targeting to increase the 150-strong Project We Care CEO network to 200 CEOs and reach out to about 10,000 employee volunteers by 2015.
