FedEx rolls up its sleeves for CSR

Over 350 FedEx employees from the Asia Pacific region, including 20 from Singapore, joined their global counterparts last week to help the less fortunate in their respective communities.

The global CSR initiative FedEx Cares Week, which ran from 15 September to 20 September in more than 40 cities around the world, also marked the first time FedEx employees outside the US participated in the event. Besides being meaningful, David L. Cunningham Jr., president for the express transportation company in APAC believes active voluntarism helps to integrate employees further into corporate culture.

Ramesh K. Singam, managing director for FedEx Express Singapore and Indonesia, agrees. "Encouraging employees to get involved in socially responsible initiatives undertaken by the company generates pride among our employees."

In Singapore, in addition to taking an afternoon to restore 85 wheelchairs used by the severely disabled residents of the Red Cross Home for the Disabled, the 20 volunteers joined them for dinner.

"This has been a rewarding experience for our employees. We are excited to be able to contribute in some small way, especially since the wheelchairs are the basic vehicles for the residents to move about within the premises," said Singam.

First launched in the U.S. in 2005, the annual FedEx Cares Week will involve more than 3,000 FedEx employees in 45 cities worldwide this year. In APAC, volunteers from 13 cities, including Australia, mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, took part in activities such as clothing and book drives, landscaping and painting projects, and a Job Shadow Day programme. Around 14 non-profit organisations and schools in the region benefited from the community project.