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2021 continues to be a challenging year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and U.S. Embassy Singapore’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee had to get creative with ways they could help in the community, while maintaining safe distancing measures.
Despite these challenges, the CSR Committee continues to organize events where the U.S. Embassy Singapore family can volunteer their time, energy, and resources to help where needed.
*This page will be updated after every CSR activity.
The embassy community answered a call from local charity ItsRainingRaincoats to contribute specific items needed by the migrant worker community such as water bottles, umbrellas, sports equipment and more. On September 20, the embassy donated 10 trolley loads of items, which were well-received by the hard workers, who often labor in the hot sun all day.
On June 12, the U.S. Embassy Singapore’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) committee members and family volunteered at Willing Hearts to prepare and pack meals to be delivered to those in need. Willing Hearts prepares, cooks, and distributes about 9,500 daily meals to over 40 locations island wide, 365 days a year. Volunteers helped to prepare ingredients, make fish balls, load and unload pallets of food items, and pack containers of meals for delivery.
On March 6, the U.S. Embassy Singapore’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) committee volunteered at Willing Hearts soup kitchen to help prepare food for those in need in Singapore. Willing Hearts preps, cooks, and distributes nearly 10,000 meals daily to over 40 locations island wide, 365 days a year. Volunteers helped to make chicken, baked goods, and pack meals of rice, vegetables, and chicken. “It was hard work, but a very rewarding experience being able to contribute to the society in which we live and work,” said one Embassy volunteer.
To learn more about Willing Hearts, visit: https://willinghearts.org.sg/get-involved/
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Tree-planting was the U.S. Embassy Singapore community’s act of service this Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Taking place each year on the third Monday in January, this is the only American federal holiday observed as a national day of service to remember and honor Dr. King’s legacy.
Through its CSR committee, 24 members of the Embassy community planted 45 trees along Clemenceau Avenue in Singapore. We did this in partnership with the One Million Trees Movement launched by Singapore’s National Parks Board (NParks). It was a lovely, windy day, perfect for outdoor activities. Staff from NParks organized the saplings, soil, mulch, water, and changkols (hoes) and we worked hard for two hours, digging holes, rolling the saplings into place, filling up the hole, and watering the trees we had planted. It was hard work. The ground was dry after a few sunny days and the saplings were large and heavy. But we came away from it all with a sense of achievement, a feeling that we had contributed, in our small way, to make the world a better place.
CSR Mission Statement
U.S. Embassy Singapore’s Corporate Social Responsibility Committee (CSRC) (a.k.a. the volunteers’ committee) empowers Embassy employees and their families by facilitating volunteerism in the local community. The CSRC is comprised of a dedicated group of locally engaged staff, U.S. direct hire employees, and their families motivated to make a difference.
The CSRC is an open door organization committed to inspiring volunteer participation and encouraging Embassy community members to coordinate Embassy-wide volunteer activities.
The CSRC organizes regular volunteer events for embassy participation that benefit those in need. The goal is to identify, organize, and participate in socially responsible events that benefit those who need it most and/or address other social or environmental needs in Singapore. As a government entity, the CSRC cannot raise money through financial donations and instead relies on volunteers’ time and energy or in-kind donations for specific purposes.
The CSRC meets quarterly and plans a minimum of four CSR events annually. The CSRC coordinates activities with the Community Liaison Office (CLO) and Public Affairs Section (PAS) to promote volunteer activities and highlight embassy community engagement.
