SINGAPORE - A group of employees from Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) spent the past two months making handicrafts such as flowers and gift baskets during their lunch breaks.
On Monday (May 7), the 10-member team from SPH's circulation customer service reaped the rewards of their hard work when they sold their wares to raise money for charity at the company's annual charity carnival.
More than 500 SPH staff attended the annual event, which is now in its seventh year.
Employees from 12 SPH divisions and subsidiaries were involved in the carnival, manning stalls and snapping up bargains. In total, they raised more than $15,000 for charity.
Eleven external charities also took part, including the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Its stall sold an array of items, including plush toys and T-shirts made out of sustainable materials.
This was the charity's second time at the carnival.
"A lot of Singaporeans do want to help out, it's just that they're limited by a busy schedule," said Ms Tiara Hadi Devaraj, 26, an operations coordinator from WWF-Singapore. "This is a really good event to bridge that gap and bring charities closer to them so that they can find out more."
Meanwhile, the Down Syndrome Association had a stall selling items such as bookmarks and key chains made by members of its Adult Enhancement Programme - two of whom, Ms Gabriella Allan, 37, and Ms Lim Ming Fei, 33, helped out on Monday.
"They get to see that their hard work has paid off. It builds up their self-esteem," said Ms Siti Abdullah, 37, one of the programme's training officers.
Students Heddwen Campbell and Dylan Tetro, both 15, were on hand to volunteer at the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society stall.
The pair from Tanglin Trust School were so impressed by the carnival that they plan to take part again in the future.
"I really enjoyed it today," said Heddwen. "You get to hear the stories behind charities. Everyone's here for a reason and the reason is good."
Ms Chin Soo Fang, head of corporate communications and corporate social responsibility at SPH, said: "The carnival is an effective platform to raise awareness for different charities' causes and to raise funds for their beneficiaries. It also provides staff bonding time."
