A day of caring and sharing at Hyundai

MANILA, Philippines - Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), official distributor of Hyundai cars in the Philippines, expressed its continuing commitment to be an innovative driver of social change through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm, HARI Foundation, Inc. The leading automotive firm celebrated its enduring as well as newly-established partnerships with foundations that echo Hyundai’s advocacy for a happier and wealthier world through the promotion of entrepreneurship, education, health care, and environment protection. The Christmas lunch-program, held at the Makati Shangri-La, paid tribute to HARI’s partners in nation building: Children’s Joy Foundation Center; Gawad Kalinga Community Foundation; GMA Kapuso Foundation; Habitat for Humanity; HARIBON Foundation; Korea Food for the Hungry International; National Parks Development Committee (NPDC); PDI Foundation; Polytechnic University of the Philippines; KIDS Foundation; SOS Children’s Village; St. Scholastica’s Priory; and the UP Women Lawyers Circle, Inc. (WILOCI).

“We wish to thank these foundations for giving Hyundai this opportunity to serve our country in an enduring way,” said HARI President and CEO and HARI Foundation President Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo. “In the spirit of this season, we fulfil their Christmas wish lists through our humble aguinaldo – our commitment to be always there to collaborate with them in seeking new ways to raise the value of social innovation. Furthermore, as ‘thought leaders,’ we look forward to fostering good corporate citizenship on a wider scale by building a critical mass of social innovators who can shape a culture of genuine caring and cooperation for social and economic advancement.”

According to Marissa Nebrida-Balmaceda, Assistant Vice President of HARI’s Philanthropy and Corporate Responsibility Division, HARI Foundation’s Christmas campaign 2011, highlighted by the HARI Tree of Sharing, consists in raising funds for specific projects of their partner foundations. The tree made the rounds of HARI’s various Yuletide events, inviting customers, dealers, and other stakeholders to hang “Trinkets of Hope,” which are equivalent to a donation of P5,000 each. HARI Foundation is targeting a total of P200,000-P250,000 for each beneficiary foundation.

Balmaceda furthered that the Trinkets of Hope also signify HARI’s advocacy for developing real, stable, and sustainable entrepreneurs at grassroots level. The trinkets made from bamboo and wood shavings were the work of craftsmen of Enchanted Farm Village, a Gawad Kalinga Center for Social Entrepreneurship, located in Bgy. Encanto, Angat, Bulacan. “We want to empower people to help themselves and their communities. And so as we promote education, adequate health care services, a sense of environmental stewardship, and a culture of entrepreneurship, we contribute to building responsible and self-supporting individuals who can help others lead better lives. We want to build communities of social innovators who are capable of creating sustainable enterprises that can have positive impact on national growth.”

This gesture of “giving back” closes HARI’s 10th year as a responsible corporate citizen on a meaningful note: as a close ally of foundations that count decades in their selfless dedication to building a better and brighter Philippines.