Building Good
Local Communities
We are committed to uplifting local communities through initiatives supporting children, youth, education, sports and the arts. The Group provides more than just financial sponsorships as it leverages its people, assets and partnerships to encourage staff to volunteer, make available the Group’s properties for community projects, and establish partnerships to foster meaningful connections and make a real difference.
In 2024, UOL contributed to bursaries at Care Corner Student Care Centres, the Institute of Technical Education and Ngee Ann Polytechnic for students from low-income families.
In 2024, UOL contributed to bursaries at Care Corner Student Care Centres, the Institute of Technical Education and Ngee Ann Polytechnic for students from low-income families. The Group also supported Kindle Garden by AWWA, Singapore’s first inclusive preschool, by subsidising fees for children from poorer backgrounds as well as those with autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome.
We further strengthened our commitment to education and inclusivity by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Care Corner Singapore in October 2024. The agreement, aimed at assisting children with learning disabilities, involves the Group providing $100,000 annually in 2025 and 2026 to support Care Corner’s Learning and Special Needs Support programme. The initiative will benefit about 65 children aged three to 13 from low-income families, helping them develop essential literacy, numeracy and developmental skills.
The Group deepened family-centric engagement by partnering with the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) for the National Family Festival (NFF) campaign. UOL malls — United Square, Velocity@Novena Square and KINEX — supported the campaign by featuring NFF logos and campaign publicity materials in family-bonding events organised by the malls. PPHG also incorporated NFF publicity for family staycation packages and dining offers at its hotels, including Pan Pacific Singapore, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay and PARKROYAL on Beach Road.
UOL continued to back nationwide initiatives that celebrated the spirit of giving, including the inaugural Great Singapore Give (November 2024 to February 2025) and SG Cares Giving Week (1 to 7 December 2024). The Group reinforced its support through initiatives such as the annual UOL Gives Back held at its malls, including encouraging shoppers to participate in Community Chest’s Change for Charity programme by converting loyalty points into cash donations and raising awareness of giving efforts on its social media platforms.
UOL Group Chief Executive Liam Wee Sin (second from right) received a token of appreciation from Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing, for our two-year commitment to the Learning and Special Needs Support programme.
Inclusive Arts
Since 2014, UOL has been an advocate for inclusive arts, fostering opportunities for artists with disabilities to showcase their talents and connect with the broader community. As a long-standing partner of ART:DIS, we continued our commitment in 2024 by collaborating with ART:DIS for the second year running to display the works of four artists at United Square. The Group also sponsored two art jamming workshops over four days for three artists, giving shoppers a chance to learn art techniques while allowing the artists to earn fees and gain experience in conducting such events.
During the year, UOL contributed to Rainbow Centre’s Artability Programme by sponsoring the costs of art trainers and materials. This programme helps students with disabilities develop their visual art skills and explore meaningful engagement, with a pathway to join ART:DIS’ Artist-in-Training programme once they turn 18.
In May 2024, PPHG continued its support for the arts by partnering UOB to launch the 43rd Painting of the Year competition. PPHG featured six “edible art” menus crafted by PPHG’s executive chefs and inspired by past winning works at selected restaurants, and donated part of the proceeds to ART:DIS.
Other initiatives included the Pan Pacific Hanoi Art Award, an art competition to uplift emerging Vietnamese artists and those with special needs. The award ceremony took place in March 2024, recognising 16 young artists. PPHG also hosted an event in conjunction with Singapore Art Week to celebrate the restoration of the late Cultural Medallion artist Chua Ek Kay’s 20-panel calligraphic masterpiece, highlighting its commitment to local artists.
Inclusive Sports
During the year, UOL supported athletes with intellectual disabilities from Special Olympics Singapore. The Group sponsored the purchase of official Bocce courts and supported the team’s participation in the Special Olympics Asia Pacific Bocce and Bowling Competition held in New Delhi in November 2024, where they won Bronze in the Men’s Doubles. UOL also supported Singapore Paralympic swimmer Toh Wei Soong’s preparations for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Key Flagship Initiatives
Minister-in-Charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee (first from right) and PPHG Executive Director (Sustainability Partnerships, Lifestyle & Asset) Wee Wei Ling (fourth from right), joined a culinary class with ComLink+ youths, conducted by PPHG chefs.
UOL-PPHG Community Uplift Programme: Empowering Lives Through Enrichment and Education
Launched in 2023, the three-year UOL-PPHG Community Uplift Programme is a collaboration with MSF’s Community Link (ComLink+) to provide a diverse range of meaningful enrichment activities for children living in public rental flats. Through education, skills development and mentorship, the programme seeks to empower youth and uplift families.
In 2024, the Group contributed $100,000 to fund Mathematics tuition for over 65 primary and secondary school children and youth. The tuition programme began in 2025. Beyond financial support, UOL and PPHG piloted two initiatives in 2024. UOL and PPHG have piloted a culinary arts programme with ComLink+ for over a year, benefitting about 20 youths aged 13 to 18, where participants learned valuable skills in cooking, baking and pastry-making under the guidance of PPHG chefs. The programme was well-received by the youths, with some reporting increased confidence in assisting their parents and grandparents with cooking at home. Meanwhile, as part of the pilot for the sponsored regular enrichment classes, children from ComLink+ were given the opportunity to embark on different enrichment journeys in arts and sports. These classes helped the children to better appreciate new perspectives, improved communication skills and boosted their confidence.
Over 10 initiatives were held in 2024 under the UOL-PPHG Community Uplift Programme, benefitting around 100 ComLink+ children and youth. The initiatives included enrichment activities such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu and robotics classes with UOL mall tenants, a visit to an art exhibition by Fern Wong, the winner of the inaugural UOL X ART:DIS Art Prize 2023, and a mentorship programme by PPHG to expose students to potential career paths in hospitality.
In addition, UOL and PPHG piloted two initiatives — a culinary arts programme for about 20 youths and weekly enrichment classes in arts and sports.
Through these initiatives, UOL and PPHG continue to create opportunities that inspire, educate and uplift underprivileged communities, reinforcing their long-term commitment to social impact and inclusivity.
Click here to watch a video of the programme in 2024.
Guests were captivated by the intricate details and craftsmanship of Fern’s artworks.
Championing Inclusive Art:
UOL X ART:DIS Art Prize
In September 2024, UOL and ART:DIS hosted the first solo exhibition “Natural Geometry” by Fern Wong, winner of the inaugural UOL X ART:DIS Art Prize 2023. A self-taught artist with Down syndrome, Fern won the Mature Category (Closed) with her artwork “PAPERAZZI” which captivated the judges with intricate paper cut-outs that transform ordinary bulletin paper into bursts of joyful celebration.
Sponsored by UOL, the exhibition at Objectifs showcased over 30 artworks created over two decades, including Wong’s paper-cutting style art and earlier geometric drawings. Held from 19 to 29 September 2024, the exhibition attracted over 1,400 visitors.
The opening event on 18 September 2024 saw 150 guests, including our partners from MSF and Community Chest, who gathered to show their support for Fern’s artistic journey. Mr Low Eng Teong, National Arts Council Chief Executive Officer graced the occasion as Guest-of-Honour.
Launched in 2023, the biennial UOL X ART:DIS Art Prize is Singapore’s first comprehensive art prize to recognise artists with disabilities at all stages of their artistic practice. The 2023 edition saw over 300 artworks submitted from 17 special education schools in Singapore and artists from ART:DIS. The art prize will return in 2025 to continue its purpose as a catalyst for greater representation, acknowledgement and appreciation for artists with disabilities.
We share a video here on the opening launch of the exhibition.
Staff Volunteerism
The Group offers volunteering opportunities for staff in line with its culture of giving back to society. At the 2024 NFF by MSF that was held in May, UOL organised an outing for ComLink+ @ Jurong West children and families, and invited staff to volunteer alongside their family members for the first time, creating opportunities for meaningful interaction with families supported by ComLink+.
To encourage interaction between different beneficiary groups, UOL held cross-engagement programmes that brought people from various communities together.
In September 2024, for example, UOL organised a mooncake-making session as part of the Mid-autumn celebration for the elderly from AWWA Senior Community Home. The session was led by chefs from PARKROYAL on Beach Road who were accompanied by UOL volunteers. After the session, the seniors visited the “Natural Geometry” exhibition.
A similar outing, supported by UOL volunteers, was arranged for 12 ComLink+ children and ART:DIS artists who also took part in an art jamming session.
During the year-end school holidays, UOL and PPHG volunteers accompanied over 30 children from ComLink+ @ Jurong West to a driving simulation playground at Marina Square to learn about road safety. Another group of over 70 ComLink+ children and families were treated to bowling at SuperBowl SAFRA Toa Payoh.
In December 2024, UOL volunteers wrapped and delivered Christmas presents gifted by shoppers and the Group, fulfilling the wishes of over 130 children from Care Corner Student Care Centres and Singapore Red Cross Young Hearts.
CSR Awards
In 2024, UOL received multiple accolades for its philanthropic activities.
For the third consecutive year, UOL and PPHG were conferred the Distinguished Patron of the Arts award. The National Arts Council highlighted the transformative social impact of Project OPENDOOR, where six senior artists with disabilities repurposed doors recovered from the conserved Singapore Improvement Trust flats into sculptures for display at Avenue South Residence, a condominium in the Alexandra precinct.
UOL received its third Champion of Good award, the highest honour under the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre’s Company of Good programme. PPHG and SingLand clinched the same accolade.
UOL also received the Charity Platinum Award at the Community Chest Awards and was cited for Best Efforts in Corporate Social Responsibility at the Singapore Retailers Association Retail Awards.
A new model for CSR: Fostering family bonding and cross-beneficiary engagement through volunteerism
In 2024, UOL introduced a new model for corporate social responsibility (CSR) that fosters engagement among families and connects diverse beneficiary groups. By creating shared experiences, we have strengthened social inclusion, deepened relationships and opened up meaningful learning opportunities.
Read more