Samsung Hope initiative to benefit three groups

MANILA, Philippines – Samsung Electronics recently marked the successful conclusion of its new Samsung Hope corporate philanthropy initiative. The company’s first ever program to empower local communities in deciding the grant allocation, Samsung Hope garnered a total of 32,814 pledges of support and well wishes for three chosen beneficiaries.

From the format, three local beneficiaries were selected for the program – ATRIEV, Don Bosco Foundation and the Knowledge Channel Foundation.

“Samsung is heartened to see the overwhelming enthusiasm that Samsung Hope has ignited within the community to help underprivileged kids realize their full potential. The program has elevated the level of social awareness among Filipinos, and Samsung will continue to explore ways to engage the community to jointly build a brighter future for the region,” said Glenn Glinoga, Samsung marketing director.

The program that was initiated from February to March this year, began with each beneficiary receiving a base amount. Filipinos were then encouraged to pledge their support for their favorite beneficiary at the Samsung Hope microsite (www.samsunghope.org), with additional grants allocated based on the number of pledges each beneficiary received.

The Samsung Hope campaign yielded some unexpected results, with a good number of pledges made for beneficiaries not in the supporters’ home countries, demonstrating that support for worthy causes transcends borders.

“We are honored and deeply grateful to have received 89.76 percent of the total votes, the most number of pledges to top the Samsung Hope search,” said Antonio Llanes Jr., ATRIEV’s founding president and concurrent social marketing chief. “The grant that will be given to us will continue to help the only training institution in the Philippines that supports demand-driven programs for the visually impaired. “

The initiative centered around enhancing the lifestyles of underprivileged kids as Samsung believes that children are the vision of the future. Its aim of empowering underprivileged kids to rise from challenging beginnings to achieve success also mirrors the company’s ascent to become an industry leader from humble beginnings.

As the program concludes, Samsung will still be focusing on different outreach programs as part of its commitment to doing more to help the needy in the current global economic downturn. These activities will also be parked under the Samsung Hope brand, the new umbrella brand for all Samsung’s corporate social responsibility activities in this region.