In 2016, M1 continued to actively engage and support the community with corporate social responsibility projects that covers the arts, sports and youth causes.
AMOUNT RAISED FOR BENEFICIARIES
OF M1 ADOPTED CHARITIES
M1 AND THE ARTS
M1 has been supporting the arts since 1997. Over the years, we have worked with various arts groups and supported numerous arts-related projects to help grow the quality, diversity and depth of the Singapore arts scene. In recognition of our contributions to the arts, we were accorded an award at the National Arts Council’s Patron of the Arts Awards in 2016 for the 17th consecutive year.
Together with The Necessary Stage, we presented the 12th edition of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, titled “Art & the Animal” in January 2016 to rave reviews and good attendance. Featuring 19 quality works by international and local artists, the festival continued to be a favourite of the local audience, as ticket prices were kept affordable.
The M1 Chinese Theatre Festival, which ran for three weeks in July and August 2016, brought together six exciting and high calibre productions from Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In partnership with the Theatre Practice, the festival aims to bring professional theatrical performances, ranging from family oriented to cutting edge experimental fare, to smaller stages for a more intimate experience.
In 2016, we extended our sponsorship to become the title sponsor of the M1 Peer Pleasure Youth Theatre Festival. The Festival features productions produced by Singapore youth under the guidance of professional theatre practitioners, for audiences young and old.
To honour outstanding achievements in local theatre and recognise the contributions of theatre productions in Singapore, we continued to support the M1-The Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards in 2016.
At the same time, we remain a keen supporter of leading dance companies, T.H.E Dance Company and Frontier Danceland, in their efforts to grow Singapore’s contemporary arts scene and nurture young dance talents.
The 7th edition of the M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival was held from November to December 2016. Curated by T.H.E Dance Company, the festival featured three weeks of exhilarating dance performances, choreographic workshops and technique classes, as well as the M1 Open Stage – a distinctive platform for young, talented and aspiring dancers to showcase their works.
With Frontier Danceland, our partnership continued with the M1 Dancing on the Frontier Appreciation Series to introduce contemporary dance to students from secondary schools and tertiary institutions, as well as the M1-Frontier Danceland PULSE scholarship programme for aspiring and talented dancers.
Sports with a Cause
We work extensively with Netball Singapore in promoting netball to the communityand schools. Some of our key initiatives include the M1 Schools Challenge League, the M1 Talent Identification Programme and the M1 Age Groups KL Tour, which help create fresh opportunities for young sporting talent to excel.
Our association with netball began in 2009 and over the years, we have sponsored a variety of netball programmes and initiatives from the grassroots to the national level. In 2016, we increased our support toward the netball sport and became the title sponsor of the M1 Netball Super League, a local competitive event that features Singapore’s best netball players.
To promote a sporting habit for life, we continued to present the M1 Corporate Netball Challenge (M1CNC), Singapore’s biggest mixed corporate annual netball competition. The fourth edition of the M1CNC, which took place in November 2016 at the Kallang Netball Centre, saw the participation of 41 teams across a wide spectrum of corporates. New Zealand netball legend, World Champion and Commonwealth Games double gold medallist Ms Leana de Bruin was specially invited to make an appearance at the event to meet participants and fans. She also conducted netball clinics for schools and the National age groups, to share tips with young, aspiring netball players.
Another highlight of the M1CNC was the exhibition match between M1 Senior Management and Singapore’s Members of Parliament (MPs) and friends team, comprising Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister for Social & Family Development; Mr Teo Ser Luck, Minister of State for Manpower; Members of Parliament Ms Cheryl Chan, Ms Jessica Tan and Mr Zaqy Mohamad, and Mr Bruce Liang, Chief Executive Officer for Integrated Health Information Systems. In appreciation of the MPs’ participation, M1 pledged a S$50,000 donation to the underprivileged children and youths-at-risk causes of our adopted charities.
Helping Hand to Underprivileged Children and Youths-at-Risk
The primary focus of M1’s fundraising efforts in 2016 remained on the underprivileged children and youths-at-risk causes.
The annual M1 Charity Golf 2016 and M1 Epicurean Charity Carnival 2016 were two key fundraising events successfully staged during the year. The events were passionately supported by our staff and families, business partners and associates, as well as members of the community.
Through these events, more than S$500,000 was raised for the beneficiaries of our adopted charities, Beyond Social Services, Brahm Centre, Children-at-Risk Empowerment Association, and the M1 Students Support Fund. The M1 Students Support Fund, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, provides supplementary financial aid to underprivileged school-going children from low income families. It is currently extended to financially needy students from 10 primary schools, for payment of school-related expenses.
During the year, our staff volunteers from the M1 SunCare Club continued to organise regular outings for the beneficiaries of our adopted charities, including visits to the movies, HomeTeamNS Adventure Centre, as well as the M1-sponsored Southeast Asia’s first MARVEL Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. exhibition at the Singapore Science Centre.
SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY
In celebration of our nation’s 51st birthday, M1 provided communications services to the parade’s elaborate multi-media staging at the National Stadium. M1 customers also enjoyed free local calls, SMS/MMS messages and mobile data for local usage, on National Day.
In partnership with the Singapore Red Cross Society, we organised two on-site blood donation drives in 2016 at our main office building. During these donation drives, 174 M1 staff and visitors donated 133 units of blood, which in turn will benefit about 400 patients.
