DBS Volunteers Involve Corporate Customer In Community Work

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DBS Enterprise Banking Employees Partner Staff From Thong Siek Food Industry Pte Ltd In DBS Volunteer Day

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DBS Leads The Way In Bank-Customer Volunteerism Effort

SINGAPORE, JUN. 15 - DBS Bank said today that its Enterprise Banking Division and Thong Siek Food Industry Pte Ltd, a medium enterprise customer will embark on a community volunteer project together.

This volunteer initiative marks the first time DBS Bank is teaming up with a corporate customer and involving its employees in a DBS Volunteer Day or DBS V-Day, as it is known. The volunteers will bring children from the HELP Family Service Centre to the Singapore Zoological Gardens and for a tour to Thong Siek's surimi - frozen minced fishmeat - factory on Tuesday, June 19.

Employees from DBS Enterprise Banking and Thong Siek will spend the morning touring the various animal enclosures at the Singapore Zoological Gardens with children from the HELP Family Service Centre. These children come from single-parent families across Singapore. Decked in specially designed T-shirts and caps sponsored by Thong Siek, the children will attend a special 30-minute Animal Contact Program at the Zoo's Learning Centre where they will handle the animals and learn about their origins, habitats and eating patterns. In the afternoon, the children and volunteers will put on rubber boots and don white 'laboratory coats' for a tour of Thong Siek's factory at Senoko Way. A tea party and colouring competition will also be held for the children.

Mr Hong Tuck Kun, Managing Director and Head of Enterprise Banking is pleased that Thong Siek, a valued customer of seven years, agreed to be DBS Bank's partner in this community initiative.

"DBS Enterprise Banking is committed to helping small and medium enterprises grow their businesses in Singapore. I am very happy that Thong Siek has agreed to come on board to let us help them build bridges to the community, strengthen community relations and make our society a better place to live and work in.

"Enterprise Banking has been involved in community work since the launch of the DBS Volunteers Program in July 2000. We worked with Chen Su Lan Methodist Children's Home last year, and we have adopted HELP Family Service Centre and AWWA Community Home for Senior Citizens this year. In this International Year of Volunteers 2001, our staff will actively participate and work on several HELP and AWWA community projects," he said.

Thong Siek Food Industry specialises in the manufacturing, distribution and retailing of the Dodo brand of surimi-based seafood products (for example, fish balls, fish cakes, imitation crab sticks, assorted yong tau foo and cuttlefish balls) in Singapore.

Its managing director, Mr Lim Boon Chay agreed that active staff participation is vital to any corporate volunteerism initiative.

"Thong Siek wants to give its employees opportunities to interact with and serve the needy in the community in which the company operates. This is an extension of our promise to provide reliable service to all our customers. I did not hesitate when DBS Bank first suggested the idea of a joint effort between their employees and ours. I am excited as this is the first time we are participating as a corporate customer of DBS Bank. It is very meaningful that DBS employees can work hand-in-hand with ours and begin their journey together on the road of volunteerism.

"We want to follow DBS Bank's example as a corporate volunteer by inviting our employees to spend some time with the underprivileged in Singapore. This is a first-time volunteering experience for most of them, but it will not be their last. Our employees will continue to participate in DBS Enterprise Banking's volunteering activities on a regular basis. In time to come, we will build up a 'Thong Siek Volunteers' contingent in the company," he said.

Mrs Tan Chee Koon, Executive Director of the National Volunteer Centre (NVC) is delighted that Thong Siek is leveraging on the DBS Volunteers Program to engage their employees in volunteering their time to the community.

"This is an excellent initiative on DBS' part, and a good model for other companies to consider in developing their own corporate volunteering programmes. We will like to see more of this happening: business partners coming together as community partners to benefit society", she said, commending DBS and Thong Siek on their partnership approach.

Since the 1980s, DBS Bank has actively supported charitable, educational and cultural events of nation-wide significance. DBS Bank is a corporate partner of the National Volunteer Centre and is the first company in Singapore to announce in July 2000 that it will grant its employees two days' paid leave each year for volunteer work. Philippe Paillart, Chief Executive Officer of DBS Bank is also the Vice-Chairman of the steering committee for the International Year of Volunteers 2001.