2012-09-03 — /travelprnews.com/ — Singapore Airlines, the Official Airline flying the Giant Pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia from China to Singapore, will be raising funds this Saturday for children with special needs, with a limited-edition toy collectible.
The collectible, in the form of a panda plush clad in the signature SIA Batik motif, will be available in male and female versions. All funds raised will be donated to Community Chest in support of programmes that benefit children with special needs.
SIA Group staff will be stationed at six locations around Singapore this Saturday. Each panda toy collectible will be available for donations of $20 and above. As it is a limited-edition collectible, each member of the public may acquire a maximum of four panda toys, while stocks last.
“As a long-time supporter of Community Chest, as well as the Official Airline for the Giant Panda programme, we wanted to find a special way to raise funds for children with special needs. What better way than with a special-edition panda toy collectible,” said SIA Senior Vice President Human Resources, Mr Christopher Cheng.
“Community Chest provides fantastic support for many programmes that go a long way towards improving the lives of children. Our staff are excited about this unique fundraising activity and we look forward to receiving strong support from the public for this good cause.”
Added Community Chest General Manager, Ms Tan Bee Heong: “We congratulate Singapore Airlines on being the official carrier of the Giant Pandas. SIA has been a strong and long-standing partner of Community Chest and we are heartened that this year, SIA has rallied their staff to get involved in such an interesting and creative fundraising initiative. Funding requirements for children with special needs have increased by 47% compared to last year. It is thus a timely and generous gesture from SIA to raise funds for 36 programmes supporting children with special needs under the care of Community Chest. We thank SIA for their efforts in helping us to make a difference to the lives of these needy children.”
Members of the public may approach SIA staff stationed at the following locations from the stipulated starting times on 8 September:
- Bugis Junction (Ground level) – From 10am
- Changi Airport Terminal 3 (Basement 2) – From 10am
- Ion Orchard (Basement 3) – From 11am
- Plaza Singapura (Ground level atrium) – From 11am
- Suntec City (Basement 1) – From 11am
- United Square (Basement 1) – From 9am
Children visiting the various locations can also look forward to special activities such as face painting and balloon sculpting.
As a global airline operating to more than 60 destinations in over 30 countries, SIA is acutely aware of the importance of building strong relationships with the local communities that it serves. Many of our overseas offices work with local charities in support of various initiatives and causes.
In Singapore, SIA and its staff are long-time supporters of Community Chest through various programmes such as the annual “Give-a-Hand campaign”, the SHARE Programme as well as association with various beneficiaries under the care of the Community Chest.
Official Airline for Giant Panda Collaborative Programme
Singapore Airlines is the Official Airline for the Giant Panda collaborative programme between Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) and the China Wildlife Conservation Association. WRS and Singapore Airlines have signed a sponsorship agreement under which the Airline will transport the pandas to Singapore and provide air tickets for training and exchange programmes.
Singapore Airlines Cargo will operate a special freighter flight to transport the pair of pandas from Chengdu to Singapore. Air tickets are also being provided on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights, primarily for the training and familiarisation needs of the teams of zookeepers, veterinarians and researchers from both Singapore and China.
Community Chest
Community Chest raises funds on a yearly basis to meet the needs of the social service programmes we help support. Community Chest ensures that fund-raising and other operating costs are kept to a minimum. As these costs are covered mainly by Tote Board and Singapore Pools, every dollar raised by Community Chest will be made available to social service programmes under its care.
Community Chest has made it easier for individuals to donate from the comfort of their homes via websites such as comchest.sg and www.vpost.com.sg, through the internet (DBS, UOB or Citibank) or phone banking (DBS or POSB) and even at SAM machines and iNETS Kiosks across the island. Individuals can also reap tax benefits on donations through hassle-free modes like the Community Chest’s monthly workplace giving programme “SHARE”, where employees make monthly donations via GIRO, credit card or payroll and have his or her tax deductions automatically included in their tax assessments.
Community Chest aims to raise $72.3 million this year to help support 82 charities in running 219 critical social service programmes. The funds raised will benefit over 300,000 people including children with special needs, youths-at-risk, persons with disabilities, lonely and frail elderly and families in need.
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Limited-edition panda toy collectible for donations of at least $20