FedEx, Central Singapore CDC, Join Hands for School Project Across the Mile
SINGAPORE, November 7, 2002 -- FedEx Express (FedEx) and Central Singapore Community Development Council (Central Singapore CDC) is partnering together for the first time, to embark on a mission to provide children in Zhu Town, located in northwest Nanjing, China with a safe and conducive studying environment.
The mission, codenamed "Across the Mile", is Central Singapore CDC's first unique overseas expedition for its volunteers, as this is the first multiracial team of 20 Central Singapore CDC volunteers aged 14 to 62 years old. Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) Singapore and Zhu Town Education Council will be the facilitators of this expedition. It will commence from November 15, 2002 and ends on November 24, 2002.
As part of the mission, the volunteers will help to build a brand new library for the students of An Shan Primary, bringing in English books that have been generously donated by members of the public and friends. The volunteers will also undertake repair works for the 42-year-old school, which is presently in bad conditions. They will also construct a proper pathway for the 325 primary students for their daily access to the school, which is located in the poorest town in LiuHe District.
FedEx, the world's largest express transportation company, will be the official air express carrier for the expedition and will transport all equipment and books, in particular English books, via the FedEx AsiaOne network.
"FedEx has always believed in giving back to the community, especially to the less fortunate. We are therefore very honoured to be able to play a part in this meaningful project, which will not only benefit the Chinese children, but also help to develop a spirit of volunteerism here. We give much credit to these volunteers who will give their time, money and energy to help those less privileged than ourselves," said Mr Cliffton Chua, Managing Director, FedEx Singapore.
"The 10-day learning trip to China is to provide our Central Singapore CDC volunteers with a totally different voluntary experience. They will be able to appreciate the Nanjing community's living environment through their homestay programme and interaction with the students, as well as through their contributions in improving on the school's infrastructure. Our volunteers will also be able to share the unique experiential learning aspect of the programme with the rest of our volunteers upon their return," commented Mr. Gilbert Fernandez, Deputy General Manager (Community Projects), Central Singapore CDC.
The multi-racial group will also break all cultural and racial barriers as they live with the locals during the 10-day mission and participate in a variety of cultural exchange programs with the community, such as home visits and a cultural night extravaganza. This will allow the volunteers to increase interaction with the locals and experience their lifestyles first-hand.
FedEx AsiaOne is a comprehensive intra-Asia network providing overnight delivery services among 19 major cities in Asia and linking these cities to all 211 countries in the FedEx worldwide system. As with all FedEx Express shipments, volunteers and sponsors can track the shipment via the FedEx website (www.fedex.com).
About FedEx
With annual revenues of US$21 billion, FedEx Corp. is the premier global provider of transportation, e-commerce and supply chain management services. The company offers integrated business solutions through a network of subsidiaries operating independently, including: FedEx Express, the world's largest express transportation company; FedEx Ground, North America's second largest provider of small-package ground delivery service; FedEx Freight, the largest U.S. provider of regional less-than-truckload freight services; FedEx Custom Critical, North America's largest provider of expedited time-critical shipments; and FedEx Trade Networks, a provider of customs clearance, international freight forwarding and trade facilitation.
