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BankMuscat Hearts: Committed to making people
smile.
Muscat. 20 January 2008: BankMuscat
Hearts, the employee-led social initiative of
BankMuscat SAOG, which is focused on raising
funds and supporting various social and
environmental causes, today shared details of
its activities and achievements of the year gone
by to a gathering of media persons from across
the country. AbdulRazak Ali Issa, chief
executive of BankMuscat and Sulaiman Al Harthy,
deputy general manager of consumer banking
addressed the gathering.
Speaking on the occasion, AbdulRazak Ali Issa,
Chief Executive, BankMuscat said:
“We are very glad to see the energy of our
employees in driving the goals of BankMuscat
Hearts. We are glad to know that we are an
organization with a heart, as we firmly believe
it our duty to step forward and help those in
need. We urge other organizations to similarly
step forward and help those who are not as
fortunate as us.
“There is no bigger movement than a movement
driven by people. It is in this that I find the
BankMuscat Hearts initiative truly remarkable,
as it is an initiative conceived by our
employees, run by our employees and supported by
our employees. We are glad to support them in
whatever way possible, as they continue to
strive to put smiles back on the faces of those
in need.”
The objective of the BankMuscat Hearts team is
to find ways to ‘give back to the society’ by
way of both physical and financial
contributions. Their efforts are focused largely
on women and children (including those with
special needs), as well as those who need
special care.
Also speaking on the occasion, Sulaiman Al
Harthy, Deputy General Manager – Consumer
Banking, said:
“I would like to thank the BankMuscat Hearts
team for their efforts in managing this
initiative and being able to give back to the
community. I am personally proud to be
associated with this initiative and believe this
experience will considerably help in the all
round development of my younger colleagues. I
wish them luck in their endeavours and promise
them all support in their efforts to build a
culture of voluntary social engagement within
the organization.”
The BankMuscat Hearts team conducts two kinds of
events during the year: Fund raising events and
cause-specific events. It also seeks to
participate in several charitable and societal
events organized by leading non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) during the year.
Fund raising events are entertainment-led events
to which members of the general public are
invited to participate, along with BankMuscat
employees and their families, through the
purchase of tickets and/ or special BankMuscat
Hearts merchandise. The funds so raised are then
donated to identified charities.
A cause-specific event is an event that aims to
address a specific need / cause. For instance,
on 31 January 2007, BankMuscat Hearts conducted
a ‘Blood Donation Camp’ at the Sohar Branch the
Bank. Over 100 employees of the Bank
participated in the drive, resulting in the
donation of 36 bags of blood to the blood bank
in Sohar. During the event, BankMuscat Hearts
also raised money through the sale of BankMuscat
Hearts’ merchandise, including T-shirts, mugs,
pens and key chains. The funds so raised were
used to organize an ‘Orphans Day Out’.
Furthermore, BankMuscat Hearts organised a ‘Toy
Collection Drive’ aimed at collecting toys for
children of less privileged families. The toys
collected were subsequently donated to the Dar
Al Atta charity organisation and also
distributed through the Bank’s branches in the
various regions of the country. The funds used
for the purchase of toys were from the proceeds
raised through the BankMuscat Hearts ‘Reaching
New Height’s’ event that took place in September
2007, wherein 6 professional climbers and a
number of BankMuscat Hearts personnel scaled
down the BankMuscat head office building in the
Central Business District. As part of the Toy
drive, donation boxes were also placed across
the Bank’s branches and head office buildings to
encourage employees to help put a smile on a
child’s face.
In keeping with its objective of participating
in popular events organized by others as well,
BankMuscat Hearts participated in the marathon
organized by Muscat Municipality as part of
Muscat Festival last year. It also participated
in a Road Safety Marathon organized by the Royal
Oman Police on 22 April 2007. BankMuscat Hearts
also organized a charity walk in Wilayat of
Barka in association with the Ministry of
Health, which aimed at raising awareness of the
dangers of diabetes and emphasizing the
importance of increased physical activity to
prevent and reduce complications around this
disease. The walk was organised on the occasion
of World Diabetes Day.
BankMuscat Hearts is committed to continue on
its quest through 2008. |
