News release

September 12, 2022

Sun Life Singapore and Community Chest Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Advocate Philanthropic Giving in Singapore

SINGAPORE, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 – Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada Singapore Branch (“Sun Life Singapore”) has signed an inaugural Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Community Chest, the philanthropy and engagement arm of National Council of Social Service (“NCSS”) to support charities and philanthropic giving in the Singapore community. The MOU marks the first step in the company’s newly unveiled Corporate Social Responsibility (“CSR”) strategy, which includes a donation of S$500,000 over the next five years to support various local non-profit and social causes.

Under the MOU, Sun Life Singapore will raise awareness of philanthropic giving among its client base and broader community of High-Net-Worth (“HNW”) and Ultra-High-Net-Worth (“UNHW”) individuals in Singapore. As a trusted partner serving the wealth planning and protection needs of the HNW and UHNW community through insurance solutions, Sun Life Singapore aims to spread the message of philanthropic giving as part of legacy building, through content driven conversations that will build a knowledge base for its clients and partners. Under this collaboration, clients and business partners of Sun Life Singapore have the valuable opportunity to be guided by a Community Chest Relationship Manager through a structured process to start, manage and track their philanthropy journey. Sun Life Singapore is honoured to be the first insurance organization in Singapore to partner with Community Chest to spread the importance of philanthropic giving in the HNW and UHNW community.

Michael Wei, Chief Partnership and Marketing Officer, Sun Life Singapore, said: “Through our first partnership with Community Chest, we are thankful for the opportunity to be able to give back to the Singapore community in a bigger way. Our core purpose at Sun Life Singapore has always been to foster healthier lives, through charitable giving and philanthropic initiatives that aim to support and educate our beneficiaries. This five-year pledge, which focuses on the key areas of Diabetes awareness and mental wellness, signifies our steadfast commitment to building a harmonious, sustainable and healthy society.

Through this tri-sector partnership between private, public and civil society, we especially hope to elevate the awareness of philanthropic giving in the HNW and UHNW community we serve in Singapore, so as to generate more support for the families and individuals in need.”

Rae Lee, Director of Philanthropic Partnerships and Engagement, Community Chest, said: “We are delighted to be the one-stop philanthropic partner of Sun Life Singapore to support the HNW community in building their giving legacies while empowering communities in need.  We hope more organisations will be inspired to collaborate with us to build sustained impact within our community and contribute to building a more caring and inclusive society.”

As part of Sun Life’s ongoing global commitment in fostering healthier lives and helping its clients and the community achieve lifetime financial security, Sun Life Singapore is also partnering NCSS members, namely the Singapore Association for Mental Health (“SAMH”) and TOUCH Community Services (“TOUCH”), to promote mental wellness, as well as build advocacy for Diabetes prevention among vulnerable individuals.

Supporting Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH) in enhancing community wellness  

The pandemic has brought to the forefront the importance of mental wellness across all areas of work, life and play. In recognizing the growing significance of positive mental and emotional well-being, Sun Life Singapore is the first insurance organization in Singapore to focus on mental health advocacy in its philanthropic efforts.

Sun Life Singapore will contribute towards SAMH first integrated wellness centre, a one-stop wellness space for recovery and growth that is targeted for launch in early 2023. 

Ngo Lee Yian, Executive Director, Singapore Association for Mental Health,said “We are grateful for Sun Life Singapore’s donation in enabling SAMH to increase mental health access in the community where people can improve their resilience through creative approaches, using the arts, sports, and the outdoors. Sun Life Singapore’s contribution empowers us to keep doing all we can to create more safe spaces and we look forward to their continued support to enhance ‘Mental Wellness for All’.”

Continued partnership with TOUCH Community Services

Since 2012, Sun Life Group has been advocating for Diabetes awareness and prevention, and had committed C$42.7 million across all the global markets it serves in. Sun Life Singapore has an ongoing collaboration with TOUCH to drive Diabetes awareness, as part of its commitment to building sustainable, healthier communities for life. As a continuation of its Diabetes awareness campaign that started last year, Sun Life Singapore will support TOUCH’s healthy living programmes for vulnerable individuals and families. Ongoing initiatives such as cooking demos, exercise sessions, art therapy and diabetes mobile clinics will educate beneficiaries about diabetes prevention and care and help them better manage the disease.

Anita Low-Lim, Chief Transformation Officer, TOUCH Community Services, said: “Sun Life Singapore has been a valued partner of TOUCH since 2021, and has organised educational workshops on healthy eating for our children and a family day carnival to promote family bonding. We are excited to continue on this journey together to build a community of care and enhance the well-being of our beneficiaries.”

 

About Sun Life

Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth and insurance solutions to individual and corporate Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of 30 June, 2022, Sun Life had total assets under management of C$1.26 trillion.

For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.sg

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada is an insurance company federally incorporated in Canada, with OSFI Institution Code F380 and its registered office at 1 York Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5J 0B6. It is regulated by Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, Canada. Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada Singapore Branch (UEN T19FC0132B) is registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore as a foreign company, with its registered office at One Raffles Quay, #10-03 North Tower, Singapore 048583. It is licensed and regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Where Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada Singapore Branch is referred to as “Sun Life Singapore”, this is strictly for marketing and branding purposes only, and no legal significance is expressed or implied. Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada is a member of the Sun Life group of companies. The Sun Life group of companies operates under the “Sun Life” name. Sun Life Financial Inc., the publicly traded holding company for the Sun Life group of companies, is not a product offering company and is not the guarantor of the obligations of its subsidiaries. © 2022 Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. All rights reserved. The name Sun Life and the globe symbol are registered trademarks of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada.

About Community Chest

As the hallmark of care and share, Community Chest has been uniting the community to fundraise and serve those in need, since 1983. Community Chest supports more than 100 social service agencies and over 200 programmes to meet underserved, critical social needs. As our fundraising and operating costs are covered mainly by Tote Board, 100% of your contributions goes towards empowering the lives of:

  • Adults with disabilities
  • Children with special needs and youth-at-risk
  • Families in need of assistance  
  • Persons with mental health conditions
  • Seniors in need of support

Find out more at www.comchest.gov.sg

About National Council of Social Service (“NCSS”)

NCSS is the umbrella body for over 500-member social service organisations in Singapore. Its mission is to provide leadership and direction in enhancing the capabilities and capacity of our members, advocating for social service needs and strengthening strategic partnerships, for an effective social service ecosystem. Community Chest is the fundraising and engagement arm of NCSS and Social Service Institute (SSI) is the sector capability and transformation arm of NCSS.

About Singapore Association of Mental Health (“SAMH”)

Established in 1968, the Singapore Association for Mental Health is a non-profit and non-government social service agency that provides a comprehensive range of mental health services, which include rehabilitative, outreach and creative services, to the community in Singapore. SAMH aims to reintegrate persons with mental health issues back into society through community-based mental health programmes and services that provide rehabilitative care for these individuals, and support for their families and caregivers. With a vision to promote mental wellness for all, SAMH is committed to improve the lives of, and promote acceptance and respect for, persons with mental health issues and improve the mental resilience of the community. In 2018, SAMH celebrated its 50th anniversary where the Association pledged its commitment to step up efforts and address the growing challenge of mental health issues among the people, young and old.

For more information, please visit www.samhealth.org.sg

About TOUCH Community Services (“TOUCH”)

Since 1992, TOUCH Community Services has served people of all ages, races and religions to see sustainable change and transformation in their lives. It believes in the worth and potential of every child, youth at-risk, family in need, senior and person with special or healthcare needs to grow, participate and contribute in the community. The heartbeat of TOUCH is to activate potential, build independence, connect people, and deliver impact by developing sustainable solutions in society.

For more information on TOUCH, please visit www.touch.org.sg