Amazon donates S$100,000 to local NPOs, Delivering Smiles to children in Singapore
- Written by Daily Sun
This includes donating a total of SGD100,000 in cash to NPOs such as Arc Children's Centre, SHINE Children and Youth Services, and Singapore Children's Society to help vulnerable children and youths in Singapore better learn, play, and develop in the long-run.
Amazon's increase in support for the local community comes as Singapore aims to create a vibrant philanthropic ecosystem and become a hub in Asia. With the wishlist initiative, Amazon continues to work closely with local non-profit organizations to understand the evolving needs of the underprivileged in the community and channel resources to uplift and nurture them, especially children. In addition, the initiative serves to raise awareness and encourage the public to give to meaningful causes regularly and offers a platform for donating transparently.
Amazon's donation, coupled with donations from the public through the NPOs' wishlists, will benefit more than 25,000 children in Singapore, aged between three and 21 years, increasing their access to better and more enrichment activities, meals, and medical care, among helping with other needs.
Leo Laforgia, Country Manager, Amazon Singapore, said: "We are humbled to be able to support 16 local non-profit organizations over a variety of causes through our wishlist initiative. As we increase our support for the local community, this year, we want to focus on children from underprivileged families and nurture Singapore's next generation of bright and curious minds. Our mission to help children in need do and live better deeply resonates with the causes of NPOs such as Arc Children's Centre, SHINE Children and Youth Services, and Singapore Children's Society. We hope that our support further fuels their meaningful work with children, and encourages more people in Singapore to donate directly via the NPOs' wishlists and help kids build a better, brighter future."
Delivering Smiles with Singaporeans' this holiday season
Amazon's wishlist initiative was started locally in 2020 to make giving and doing good a part of daily experiences for people in Singapore, especially during the pandemic. As people shop on Amazon.sg for holiday gifts or everyday essentials, they can browse the items requested by NPOs on their respective wishlists, click to purchase them per their budget, and directly support the causes they are most passionate about.
Each NPO's wishlist is an updated depository of items which their beneficiaries currently need most and works as a self-serve tool—at no cost to NPOs—to inform customers on Amazon.sg what the NPOs need and their quantity. Customers who are keen to donate can select any listed item and quantity, make the payment, and have the items delivered directly to the NPOs' specified address. This minimizes instances of mismatched items being donated to NPOs or the need to drop them off physically, while offering the same vast selection, convenient shopping experience, and great prices that customers have come to expect from Amazon.sg.
A total of 16 local NPOs are currently part of the Amazon x Shop for Good wishlist initiative: Arc Children's Centre, Beyond Social Services, Blessings in a Bag, Children's Wishing Well, Club Rainbow (Singapore), Engineering Good, Fei Yue, Glyph Community, New Hope Community Services, Singapore Red Cross, SHINE Children and Youth Services, Singapore Children's Society, The Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf), SOSD, The Food Bank Singapore, and Willing Hearts.
In the first half of 2022, participating NPOs received close to 1,100 items through the wishlist initiative on Amazon.sg – including necessities such as milk formula, oscillation fans, air purifiers, canned food – amounting to over SGD$16,800 in value. This sum is approximately 70% more in value than that of donations received during the same time last year (between January to June 2021).
Geraldine Lee, Co-Founder & Centre Head, Arc Children's Centre Co Limited, said: "Pandemic or not, every day is crazy fun-filled for these children undergoing cancer treatments and their little siblings. Your donation via our Amazon.sg wishlist will support their holistic development– physical, education and emotional. Arc is a sanctuary for every child who comes, to find joy again."
Lee Seng Meng, Executive Director, SHINE Children and Youth Services, said: "The continued achievements and growth of SHINE are made possible through years of commitment and relentless envisioning to better serve the children and youths of Singapore. We are honored and privileged to have the support and trust of our staff, volunteers, partners, funders, and donors on this journey. We thank each and every one of you as you donate via our Amazon.sg wishlist and look forward to your continued support as we shine through the new norm for the betterment of the lives of children, youths, and their families."
Joyce Teng, Senior Director, Community Engagement and Partnerships, Singapore Children's Society, said: "2022 marks a significant milestone for Singapore Children's Society as we celebrate our 70th anniversary. While we celebrate seven decades of bringing hope and smiles to those in need, we are also mindful to constantly evolve our programs and services to meet the changing needs of children. We are extremely grateful to our corporate donors, like Amazon and their wishlist initiative, that have been on this transformative journey with us."
Customers can join Amazon in its season of giving by shopping for an NPO's wishlist via amazon.sg/shopforgood.
Non-profit organizations in Singapore keen to learn more about the wishlist initiative can find more information here.
Appendix: List of non-profit organizations with Amazon.sg wishlists that will receive S$25,000 each in cash donation
Arc Children's Centre
Arc Children's Centre is an independent charity day centre that supports children with cancer and other life-threatening conditions and their siblings between the ages of 3-18 years. Founded in 2011, the centre's vision is to provide a sanctuary for the children's continuing education, development, and bonding.
SHINE Children and Youth Services
SHINE Children and Youth Services is a registered charity and a member of the National Council of Social Service. It has been empowering children, youth, and their families in Singapore since 1976 and remain committed to enabling them to maximize their potential. SHINE serves around 5,000 students, aged 5-21 years old, each year.
Singapore Children's Society
Singapore Children's Society protects and nurtures children and youth of all races and religions. Established in 1952, its services have evolved to meet the changing needs of children. Today, Children's Society operates more than 10 service centres islandwide, offering services in the four categories of: Vulnerable Children and Youth, Children and Youth Services, Family Services, and Research and Advocacy. In 2021, the Society reached out to 19,973 children, youth and families in need.
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About Amazon x Shop for Good Wishlist campaign
The Amazon x Shop for Good Wishlist campaign is a joint effort by Amazon Singapore and the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) to encourage shoppers to donate to non-profit organizations (NPOs) by purchasing items listed on their Amazon.sg wishlists. Shop for Good is a collaborative initiative by NVPC's Company of Good that aims to bring stakeholders in the retail and e-commerce space together to make doing good a part of daily encounters. Check out the full list of NPO wishlists here.
About Amazon in the Community
Amazon is committed to helping more children and young adults, especially those from underrepresented and underserved communities, have the resources and skills they need to build their best future. Amazon focuses on building long-term, innovative, and high impact programs that leverage Amazon's unique assets and culture.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth's Best Employer, and Earth's Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit Amazon.sg.