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"Hoteliers with a Heart" to raise funds for the needy
By Surekha Yadav | Posted: 16 June 2010 1716 hrs

	Photos 1 of 1 Liak Teng Lit

SINGAPORE: The Community Chest is partnering hoteliers in its first sector-wide campaign to raise funds.

The campaign - "Hoteliers with a Heart" - will raise funds for the needy through SHARE.

SHARE, which stands for Social Help and Assistance Raised by Employees, is a simple and effective workplace giving programme where employees can donate any amount on a monthly basis to help the less fortunate.

Through the campaign, the fund-raising arm of the National Council of Social Service hopes to garner 20,000 SHARE donors.

The chairman of the campaign organising committee, Patrick Fiat, said the hotel sector has a staff strength of over 40,000.

He hopes that every hotelier could contribute about S$3 monthly through SHARE.

Mr Fiat said this regular and stable source of donation would support Community Chest-funded social service programmes for the needy.

Mr Fiat said: "If everybody, every staff, every operator in the hotel industry gives up one cup of coffee or two cigarettes a month - that's the equivalent of S$1 million. So, we can go a long way, just by having all the hoteliers in Singapore participate in the programme."

SHARE's sub-committee chairman, Liak Teng Lit, said he hopes more working adults will contribute to the programme.

He said: "There are about 40,000 people working in the whole (hotel) industry. So, if we could reach even half of that, that is a very large number, and each just giving us a few dollars would help."

Hotels can participate by inviting the Community Chest to present its cause to the staff.

A SHARE donor of 24 years even doubled her donation after she learnt more about the charities she was supporting.

"I thought my contribution was really not enough and I could kind of give more if I can. I think I have the ability to do it. I don't feel the pinch because the donation is taken out of my salary - if we don't put it in our purse, we don't feel any pinch in our pocket," said Lily Ong, an executive secretary at Marina Mandarin Singapore.

Currently, there are about 200,000 SHARE donors, which make up about 10 per cent of Singapore's labour force.

In contrast, about 30 per cent of working Americans support the Payroll Giving Scheme, a similar workplace giving programme in the United States.

The "Hoteliers with a Heart" campaign marks Community Chest's year-long effort to promote SHARE.

It will also serve as a model and springboard for other sectors of the business community as well as the public sector to emulate.

Two other sector initiatives will be launched later this year.

This year, the Community Chest needs to raise S$55.2 million to support some 160 social service programmes serving more than 320,000 people in need.

- CNA/ir

Source:http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1063644/1/.html