Earlier this year, UTAC Holdings Ltd, organised its first virtual U-Run in support of Bright Vision Hospital (BVH), with the company pledging one dollar for every kilometer clocked by their staff.
Mr Matthew Chua, who chairs UTAC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee, revealed that BVH had initially approached UTAC last year to participate in its inaugural charity walkathon iWALK.
At that time, UTAC was unable to participate in the walkathon due to scheduling conflicts, but instead of simply giving the event a miss, the company saw a unique opportunity to partner BVH to organise a dedicated UTAC staff run in support of patients in financial need.
“I thought it would be a great way for UTAC to continue its ongoing efforts to give back to the community and engage our staff to stay fit and healthy during COVID-19” said Mr Chua.
120 staff runners signed up for the challenge – the largest show of support they have seen for a company running event. Collectively, the runners clocked in 7,316km during the event period from 20 February to 21 March 2021. UTAC’s management very generously rounded up the total gift amount to $10,000 at the conclusion of the event.
On 5 May 2021, the UTAC team organised a virtual event where Dr John Nelson, CEO of UTAC presented the cheque to Associate Professor Lee Kheng Hock, Medical Director, Bright Vision Hospital and Director of Education, SingHealth Community Hospitals. The top male and female runners as well as staff who ran over 30km also received medals during the event.
Mr Chua urged organisations not forget to give back to communities in which they operate, even in challenging times. “Finding creative ways to engage employees in the process would make it that much more rewarding,” he said.
Most patients under the care of BVH are elderly with chronic conditions requiring long-term care. Over 60% of them are from the low-income segment of society and require assistance to cover their medical expenses, even with the availability of different assistance schemes. Beyond alleviating the financial burden of such patients, the support from UTAC will also support BVH’s patient-centered programmes and activities which help to ensure a much more enjoyable and fulfilling journey to recovery.
If you or your organisation is keen to support BVH patients in their recovery journey, please contact bvh.community@singhealthch.com.sg.
To read about iWalk 2020 - BVH’s inaugural charity walkathon, click here.
