The initiative is in line with Mapletree’s efforts to enrich communities through education

SINGAPORE – Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd (“Mapletree” or the “Group”) is giving all 374 preschools under the PAP Community Foundation (“PCF”) copies of children’s picture book, “What’s Inside the Red Box”, as part of the Group’s efforts to honour the legacy of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and the Founding Fathers of modern Singapore.

“What’s Inside the Red Box” depicts Mr Lee – who together with the early leaders of Singapore – had bold dreams for the country, and worked relentlessly to turn their vision into reality. The book is inspired by the red box that Mr Lee used as his briefcase while he was serving in political office, known to many to contain his aspirations for the nation. It is targeted at children aged three to seven years old.

The book gifting initiative will see Mapletree provide over 700 books to the PCF preschools – or two books to each centre – and is an extension of Mapletree’s partnership with Straits Times Press to produce the book. “What’s Inside the Red Box” was first commissioned by Mapletree and published by Straits Times Press, and has been sold at leading bookstores since December last year.

Said Mr Hiew Yoon Khong, Group Chief Executive Officer of Mapletree: “Mr Lee and the early leaders of modern Singapore believed that education was essential to lift families out of the poverty cycle, and established the PCF schools to be accessible and affordable for all children in Singapore. 

“This focus on education is what we at Mapletree believe in, and we strive to empower communities through our support for education. This book distribution is our effort to spread to the younger generation of Singaporeans the positive values of hard work and selflessness that are embodied in the book.”

A ceremony to mark the donation was held today at PCF Sparkletots @ Radin Mas, where Mr Sam Tan, Minister of State (Prime Minister’s Office & Ministry of Manpower) and Grassroots Advisor to the Radin Mas GROs, read the book to five- to six-year-old preschoolers.

Said Mr Victor Bay, Chief Executive Officer of PCF: “We greatly appreciate Mapletree’s gesture, and believe that the books will be useful resources for our teachers, especially when they are sharing Singapore’s history with our pre-schoolers. We hope that the story will inspire our children, even at this young age, and ingrain in them the notion that no dream is too big if they work hard to pursue their goals.”

The ceremony was followed by a craft session, which saw staff volunteers from Mapletree guide preschoolers to create their own “red box”, and fill it with their goals and dreams.  

Staff volunteers from Mapletree will also be conducting reading sessions at select PCF centres later this year. This is part of Mapletree’s Staff Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, under which employees team up to drive community initiatives they are passionate about. 

Added Mr Hiew: “At the corporate level, we actively support staff to volunteer their time and effort for causes that they feel strongly for as individuals, and find meaningful. We believe that encouraging such ground-up efforts is core to building all-rounded individuals and creating a sense of belonging within the company. This is an area we will continue to encourage and develop.”