 Nowadays, it is not new when a businessman donors money to charity and engages in for-community activities. However, it would be remarkable when a young business establishes a Charity Fund within its structure. Operated since June 2007, VinaGame Foundation Charity Fund had implemented a number of meaningful programmes prior to its official ‘opening’ announcement on September 15th 2007. Hereunder we held a talk with Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, Permanent Vice President of VinaGame Foundation. Thoa has been wholeheartedly devoted to the Fund by her initiatives for the start-up and her appeals to countless organizations, individuals, and gamers for charity contribution. Q: As far as I know VinaGame Foundation is the first Charity Fund set up by a business. So from what initiatives a young company like VinaGame decided to implement such a practical and beneficial project?
VinaGame is 3 years old now and, as you know, VinaGame Foundation is the first Charity Fund ever set up within a business. The act of establishment is from the hearts of the youth to show that they have not only wealth aspiration but also social awareness and commitment. The youth are aware that they have to share with the social sufferings.
Q: Budget is so important to a Charity Fund that we can’t help think about. Could you please share a bit: how the Fund is budgeted?
It is true. In order to operate the Fund we need to care about the budget. At first, VinaGame allocated 1 billion dong for the start-up of the Fund. In addition, we take advantage of all supportive means and tools including media channels, newspapers, and our own websites such as www.volam.com.vn, www.phongthan.com.vn, www.boom.com.vn, www.cuulong.com.vn, www.123mua.com.vn, etc. These means help appeal donation of many types (money, real items) and from many donor groups (individuals, organizations, gamers). Moreover, the Fund has been budgeted nonstop thanks to the contribution of VinaGame’s employees, partners, and other kind hearts. So far VinaGame Foundation Charity Fund has received totally 140 million dong of donation, not mentioning the great encouragement from all employees, gamers and affiliations. The sum of money has been invested in a number of charity events held across the country.
Q: Who are aimed at by VinaGame Foundation and what are the Fund’s operational criteria?
VinaGame Foundation was established with three goals: supporting charity and humanitarian activities, revitalizing the voluntary spirit of our employees and gamers, expressing our sense of responsibility with the community. Through charity acts, we wish that the Fund can help improve the life quality, share the hardships and bring the smiles to disabled children and students. They are the main recipients of the support.
The Fund will also target poor patients, determined people who ‘never say die’ to circumstances, and VinaGame’s well-performed employees despite difficult life circumstances.
Q: Recently VinaGame Foundation has organized some very practical community activities. Are they the trials for the later steps of the Fund?
Yes. You can consider the activities and events we have organized as the trial, or the base for major charity projects to be implemented later. Up to now VinaGame Foundation has successfully carried out a lot of activities beneficial to the community. Most notably, we have lately received 125 million dong donated by our gamers and employees in a fundraising programme for inflicted children at flood-devastated provinces in the Central and the Highlands. The money was to support them to school. This programme was preceded by a series of meaningful social work, such as the ‘Bright Pink Sunday’ and the ‘One emotion-one heart’, in which VinaGame Foundation and its people organized and engaged in entertainment activities for disabled and Orange Agent-contracted children based in the provinces of Dong Nai and Binh Duong and Ho Chi Minh city. In total, we have come to nearly 1,000 disabled children habituated at care centers and ‘families’ for the disadvantaged. There we offered care, played games and then presented unfortunate children with gifts. Our plans shall be maintaining these programmes and expanding our activities to other provinces in the Central, the Highlands, and the West of South Vietnam.
Earlier community-oriented humanitarian events include the ‘Frontier Spring’, where our members spent Tet Holiday with frontier soldiers at Gia Lai in January 2007; ‘For Disabled children’ Week campaign held during June 2007. In cooperation with Sai Gon Liberation Press and Ho Chi Minh City Heart Institute, we came to visit and provided medical treatments to poor people as well as presented scholarships to budget students living in the remote areas of Binh Phuoc province in July 2007.
Q: What are VinaGame Foundation’s strategies, operations, and expanding plans for the next step?
VinaGame Foundation just announced its opening but some long-term projects have already been drawn up for it. Currently we are making the very steps but hopefully we will soon be able to widen the coverage of our charity events, thanks to the encouragement and the dedication of gamers, friends, and partners. It is worth mentioning that one of VinaGame’s strategic objectives is to empower the spiritual life of not only employees but gamers also, both in-game and out-game.
Thank you for the interview. May your charity ambitions come true.
(Source: Thanhnien)
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