Resorts World Sentosa launches inaugural RWS Cares Festival with US$1.6m fundraising goal
The integrated resort will host a two-day community event in August featuring a charity walkathon and sustainability fair.
Singapore.- Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) will hold the inaugural RWS Cares Festival in August as a new annual community initiative. It aims to raise S$2m (US$1.6m) in cash and in-kind contributions for social and environmental causes in Singapore.
Scheduled for August 22-23, the festival will combine fundraising, volunteerism and sustainability activities under the integrated resort’s corporate social responsibility programme, RWS Cares. The event will also support the President’s Challenge, Singapore’s national fundraising movement, with a fundraising target of S$700,000 (approximately US$560,000). President Tharman Shanmugaratnam is expected to attend the opening day as Guest of Honour.
The first day of the festival will feature the “Steps of Hope” charity walkathon. Participants will have access to themed entertainment throughout the route, and all proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the President’s Challenge. Meanwhile, the Green Living Fair will take place over both days at the RWS Research and Learning Centre. RWS expects approximately 4,000 participants to attend the festival.
Funds raised through the President’s Challenge will benefit three organisations: Autism Resource Centre (Singapore), TomoWork, and the MILK (Mainly I Love Kids) Fund. The donations will support employment programmes for adults on the autism spectrum, workplace readiness initiatives for young graduates requiring additional support, and career development and financial literacy programmes for at-risk youth.
The festival marks the beginning of a three-year partnership between Resorts World Sentosa and the President’s Challenge as part of Genting Singapore’s 2030 Sustainability Master Plan, which includes commitments to strengthen community partnerships, expand volunteerism, support local social enterprises and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
According to RWS, its corporate social responsibility programme reached 24,700 beneficiaries last year, contributed more than S$2.1m in cash and in-kind support, and accumulated over 478,000 volunteer hours since its launch in 2010.
Commenting on the initiative, Loh Su Kim, chief strategy and sustainability officer at Resorts World Sentosa, said the festival is intended to become a long-term platform that brings communities together while promoting inclusion and environmental sustainability through ongoing partnerships and community engagement.
